I checked "The Beautiful: A Collection of Poems" out from Evans a couple of weeks ago. I really like modern poetry and was excited to find a book full of it by Michelle Tea. While deciding if I should check it out, I thumbed through to a dog-eared page and read the poem. It completely drew me in with its raw edges and thought provoking theme.

"How to Reprogram Your Sexuality"

realize that you never had a chance.
you were born into this place
where they pump pornography in like oxygen,
i don't mean hustler and all that s***, either,
i mean marlboro and l'oreal and the brady bunch.
you work your way up to hustler,
you've got to start somewhere.
maybe you should take
a college-level psychology course or something.
mine taught me that stressed out moms
make gay babies and schizophrenic geniuses
drawing maps of the universe should be locked up
but also how you can flash things like shoes
on a screen with naked lady and after not too long
the men in the audience get a hard-on
from a single spiked heel
it should make you angry
to find yourself so programmed, but don't go
beating up women, do what i do.
walk into liquor stores and shred the
st. paulie girl ads in the proprietor's face,
have a little argument about how you're
a fanatic and why aren't you working
to make sure all those corporate women
are making as much as all those
corporate men, something important,
he'll say, but that's ok,
maybe what is impotant is having a sex fantasy
that doesn't come from a box, on that madonna
wouldn't bother making into a video, where
the woman looks like a woman and not a barbie doll,
i mean, you're a grown man, doesn't it
embarrass you to be lusting after
barbie dolls? maybe you've never thought of it
that way, maybe you've never thought of it at all,
how everything that turns you on is
also everything that turns everybody else on
which is also everything that everyone
from budweiser to the gap
is hoping you'll be turned on by
so that you'll push some of that sexy green stuff
their way and maybe you want to think about this
and decide that your sexuality
should be more than the sum
of some not-so-subliminal advertising,
your father's pornography or whatever
relative molested you during childhood
but far be it from me to pull you from
your lipstick fishnet f*** paradise,
you're a grown man,
you can make up
your own mind.

A Little Fashion Eye Candy for the Studying College Student

I think I'm falling in love... with these dresses! Taking the words from a great fashionista "A man will never love you or treat you as well as a store." Can I hear an Amen? Anyway, I love the shapes and textures used in these frocks. The first one is a casual wear to class or picnic dress and the other two are great for holiday parties. I especially love the shape of the skirt in the third dress. Not only is that flattering for different body shapes, it's refreshing and whimsical. It could definitely be a Michelle Obama dress.

Back to the grind for me. I have two tests this week. I'll blog after going to the Reneissance festival this weekend. It's my first time to go; I hope it lives up to its reputation.

Matching Snacks!

Like most college kids, I'm on a budget. My parents give me a set amount of money for the month and I have to make it last. Sometimes that can be a bit of a challenge. I have a little problem and it's time for me to come out.

I, Alison, am a Shopaholic.

Now, this may shock some people (NOT) but I really like to shop. I'm an aesthetically driven individual who sees the potential for a great fashion adventure just by purchasing a new accessory. However, I must toot my horn. While in College Station I have only gone shopping a couple of times and have done most of my shopping at Plato's Closet, the hip thrift store in town. I got a $12 American Eagle swimsuit for my Christmas vacation and a $6 Express top for a night on Northgate.

Regardless, I know that I need to be careful with my money because I don't have a job. Also, I don't want to run to my parents every time that I need money. I want to be independent! I want to be frugal! I want to be a girl that has her stuff together!

So, I bought all generic brand stuff at Target today.

But, it all matches and it's just so cute! It's exciting! I brought in my suitemate to show her the clean, simple Market Pantry boxes. Needless to say she wasn't quite as excited as I was. I was jumping up and down. My snacks all match now and I saved around ten dollars (I checked the receipt). Carolyn and I ate one of the Crispy Marshmallow Bars. It didn't taste exactly like a Rice Krispie Bar, but it was a lot cheaper and didn't look an astronaut in a shiny blue wrapper.

Be frugal, go generic!

Halloween Pictures

We went dancing at Martini Street. Halloween is probably my new favorite holiday! It was a blast being "scandalous" Dorothy!

To Mug Down or Not to Mug Down? That is the Question!

mug down- to kiss one's date during Yell Practice or football games after a touchdown

Aggies are known (and made fun of) having a multitude of traditions ranging from "humping it" to "uncovering". Out of all of the traditions there is one that both guys and girls alike can agree can be magical or just plain awkward.

Midnight Yell is, as some guys call it, a "cheap date". You ask a girl to Yell, she says yes, you pay nothing to spend a quality hour with one another practicing yells, and then the lights go off in Kyle Field and ... Well, the rest is up to you. Mugging down is expected by some, avoided by others, and laughed at by the few dateless Ags "flicking their Bics" (lighting a lighter to try and help them find another dateless Ag to mug down with). However, what is the proper etiquette for this tradition? Should a girl be expected to mug with a guy just because he asked her? Is it okay to have random mugs?

If you look at it from the standpoint of a college student, most see it as an innocent tradition. For freshmen in the Corps of Cadets, it is essential to have a date. Upperclassman pester you if you don't and you get treated with respect if you do. For many it is seen as "redass" (Having a lot of Aggie spirit) if you take a different date to every Midnight Yell. I know a few Seniors in the Corps who have so many different girls to Yell they probably couldn't count on their fingers or toes!

I think that it's all in good fun. If you feel comfortable and want to mug down, do it! If you don't just turn your head and give your date the cheek. All I have to say is, every time the lights start to dim in Kyle Field I've been pretty pleased with the results. ;)

Things That I Want to do on a Saturday Night on Campus

Things to do:
1. Pond Hopping
2. Chalking (Hopscotch)
3. Midnight Frisbee
4. Picnic by H20 Fountain
5. Race bikes down hill at the tunnel
6. Dance party in West Campus Garage
7. Random Acts of Kindness
8. Go sit in the Quad and cheer on Corps guys
9. Sit by the Century Tree and keep single people from walking under it alone!
10. Explore buildings


This is an ongoing list. It will continue to accumulate throughout the semester as I think of more creative and fun things to do!