I’m Done With Big Brother

Spitty’s Note – Yes, it has been a while since I last posted. It’s been a busy/rough time since I last posted, so please don’t hate on me for now choosing to write and update the blog. It will get updated a bit more regularly. If you would like to know more, we can talk privately.

Content Warning – This latest entry of “Nice Things And Why We Can’t Have Them” does have a bit of inappropriate content, but that shouldn’t give you a reason to stop reading. Please read at your own risk.

Dear CBS/Big Brother 15,

I’m leaving you.

At first, I was excited because I do actively watch your show (it’s a guilty pleasure, don’t judge) and I was especially excited to see that your show would be coming back for the summer of 2013. However, I must say, I’m taking a break from watching the program. I don’t care if I’m one of the minority choosing to not actively watch the program this summer. But why am I doing so?

I was happy to see your show coming on again, mostly because after taking my psychology courses my senior year, I wanted to see if I could apply these skills towards the program; maybe I could get more insight on why alliances are formed, why people freak out the way the do, etc. What I wasn’t expecting though, was to see the psychology of nothing but a bunch of racist, misogynistic and homophobic people bunched together in a house. Yes, there have been incidents like this in the past, but it’s normally been 1 out of 14 people (for example), but when you have 8 of the 16 contestants this season making such offensive comments, it’s appalling.

Let’s start, shall we? Apparently the summer of 2013, will now be known as the “Summer of Race.” CBS, three of your contestants have been fired for their jobs for their comments towards the minority contestants this season. You have had one person refer to welfare as “n----r insurance,” another contestant openly state that the Asian contestant “should go make some rice,” and a third contestant call the first two contestants out, but yet, she also constantly makes very prejudiced comments herself.

You have had  a couple of male contestants openly make derogatory comments toward the only gay houseguest, both behind his back, and to his face. These same contestants have also made openly derogatory remarks towards women as well, with one comment referring to a female contestant’s “meat wallet,” and another male contestant saying at another female contestant, “Yeah, women need to shut up, especially when they need to listen.”

One of these male contestants took someone’s personal possession and essentially wiped their butt with said personal item. Another contestant joked about child pornography. This is not acceptable in any context.

CBS, your responses to the situation have also been nothing short of appalling. It’s downright mediocre. The host of the show is furious over the comments made, but your CEO is pretty much saying, “I’m appalled, but it happens.” Your apologies from the past seasons, including this season have been pretty much summarized as, “We’re sorry, but whatever, it happens.” Adding the disclaimer to the beginning of each of your shows does little to alleviate the situation. In fact, you have had a Big Brother alum open state that you need to show everyone in the same light, yet you choose to not show some of the biggest offenders of this season in the same light as you have shown a couple of contestants; in fact, you are giving them the most positive edits. What the hell?! I agree with this alum, amidst the racial controversies this summer, CBS should capitalize on this in a positive light, not trying to act like it happened, and capitalizing on the controversies only in order to gain ratings. But that’s the media I guess.

While I will do checks on the show (as of now, the only decent person won a spot back in the house, but even with that, I will choose to not watch) to see what happens, I will not be watching your 15th season of Big Brother as a result of your passive actions and the approach you are taking towards it.

CBS, you need to take into account of what happened this season, and learn from it. I’ll return for Season 16.

This is why we can’t have nice things, CBS. I guess I’ll take a look at the Big Brother house again in a year or so.

My Life: The Drinking Game

Hey guys!


First off, I want to say, I'm back. I gave up Facebook for Lent (after all, it is a nice thing) and I also had Organic Chemistry. Have a problem with that? Why don't you give up Facebook, take three straight months of O-Chem, then we can talk.


No arguments? Then congrats! I have a gift for you - the gift of not having your own nice things by creating the first edition of My Life: The Drinking Game


Here's how to play:


*Disclaimer* I am not responsible for your actions if you choose to play this game. Also, if you play this game, it will also prove that we can't have nice things."


One Drink

• I make a pop culture reference.
• +2 drinks when I have to explain the reference to someone.
• I talk about "The Amazing Race."
• +1 drink if I act as if I were on "The Amazing Race."
• I forget or lose an item of some value or importance.
• +2 drinks if I forget said item in a very obvious spot.
• "Is it because I'm black/Hispanic/from Colorado/a chemist/a musician/a tenor/a tenor sax player/Catholic/etc.?"
• "God dang it [X]!"/"God bless you [X]."
• "I'll clean that up later."
• I talk about my love of Haley Williams or Adele...or Eric Whitacre.
• I blame IB
• "Danger Zone!"

Two Drinks

• "I am Mount Vernon."
• +1 drink for "I am Cornell College" or "I am Iowa." Heck...let's just make it "I am [X].
• Someone wants me to do my runway walk or wall slide
• +2 drinks if that "someone" is me.
• "Danggummit!" or "cheese and crackers!"
• I talk about how much I hate physics.
• "I can't...I have rehearsal"" or other variations.
• I talk about my heterosexual life partners
• "WORST.X.EVER."
• #ThetaProbs
• I stick a pencil in my hair.
• When I threaten to cut someone.
• +1 if it's "so bad..."
• I talk about this game
• I get called SPittman or SPitty.

Three Drinks

• I use French or Japanese
• I trip on something
• Finish your drink if I actually fall.
• #ThetaSolutions
• "That's why we can't have nice things."
• I drop something
• I have to restart a sentence because I get tongue-tied.
• I call someone out if they are off key - or sing badly.
• +1 if I try to correct them.
• I talk about my love-hate relationship with chemistry
• I finish a hard song on DDR and I say that it wasn't my best run.
• I talk about my lack of depth perception.

Enjoy!

____ a.k.a. Random Observations

I apologize for how late this is. I blame Chemistry and life. And yes, the first half of this entry's title is blank. Big whoop, wanna fight about it? I'm only a music minor, I'm not supposed to be creative.

Organic Chemistry I almost killed me, and Organic II might strike the final blow. I have a week and a half left, and I want to jump off of a bridge.
I am the 99%

So now that's out of the way, the last few weeks have been very strange...as well as interesting to say the least.


Winter break went well. I went home (obviously) and relaxed. OK...that was a blatant lie. I only did one of three things: composed, watched TV, or studied organic chemistry. Any guesses to which one was the most successful? Anyone? On the trip back to school, the driver of the car I was in (as well as I) got into a discussion on stupid people...which is one of the things I like to talk about. This conversation reminded me of Jay Leno whenever he did "Headlines." I would stay up extra on Mondays just for that reason only. But what really got me on the thing of stupid people were the police blotters a.k.a. stupid criminals. I was telling this friend about some of the dumb criminals that I read about in this book. 

• The criminal that refused to put on his hat...because "that was not the way he was wearing it."
• The numerous sketches of the criminals...in their masks.
• The criminal that refused to say, "This is a stickup," because "that wasn't what he said."

When I was in Organic Chemistry I, I learned a very important lesson. That lesson? On any exam, when you decide to start working on a problem, tell yourself that you will get back to it at the very end, because it is a fairly easy question, and then forget to finish your answer, it will factor into your final grade for that exam. I heard a very disturbing sound that day in class...the sound of me throwing away 4 easy points.

I recently found a website called Food Network Humor...which I had to read through since a friend back home over winter break got me rehooked to the Food Network. On this website, some people have put up recipes of their own...with disastrous results.

OOH! I know know how to make Chocolate Dunked Strawberries!

Ok, a couple of questions. Why in the world does this recipe exist? I about died laughing upon reading the sheer ridiculousness of the recipe for "Dark Chocolate as a Snack."















I can't remember if I mentioned the friend that saw someone in sweatpants with something like "Beautiful" across the butt. That's not attractive. On the same level...I saw someone in the dining hall a few days ago...wearing sweatpants...with pawprints on each of the cheeks. I have never judged any harder.


Yep. It's definitely why we can't have nice things.

Jeopardy Questions

Yeah...I know. It's been a couple of weeks. But way too many things have happened, especially when it comes to having nice things. While it's still fun to rage at America for the new Twilight movie (and don't get me starting on Alvin and the Chipmunks), there are other things that just make me shake my head in disapproval. If I could relate my life and things I've seen to Jeopardy, here's how I would imagine it.

1st Round and Categories: Common Sense, Nice Things, Logic, English, My Social Life, Things Said in Music History

• Common Sense for $200: These things are normally hot. *buzzes in* A: What are hot things? +$200, Total Winnings $200
• Common Sense for $400: This is not the best way to get mistletoe. A: What is shooting down your neighbor's from his tree. Oh wait...your neighbor is not home. Ok, How about not going to the mall with a fully-loaded shotgun and shooting at the mistletoe in the trees there, and then subsequently wondering why the cops are surrounding you? Good job guy in Georgia. -$400. Total: -$200
• Things Said in Music History for $400: Most people in the Romantic period had this disease. A: What is syphilis? +0 (Nobody in my class saw that coming) Total: -$200

Let's jump around a bit.

• English for $1000: Basic sentences are spoken in this language. A: What is English, not whatever the hell is coming out of my mouth when I try to speak? +$1000. Total: $800
• Nice Things for $1000. It's a Daily Double!!! Let's go double or nothing: This is very useful when you are trying to function...especially at work and you are scooping ice into a bucket. A: What is depth-perception? That is the correct answer, but since I apparently do not have depth-perception, it's still a loss. -$800. Total: $0
• My Social Life for $600.  This is something that I will mourn the loss of when I am in Organic Chemistry. A: What is my social life? +$600. Total: $600
• Logic for $800: This object exists for no logical reason. A: What is Puppy Tweets: Get actual tweets from your dog? Why America? Just why? -$800. Total -$200

Let's fast forward a bit:

• Common Sense ($800): You don't do this when you pull up to the window in drive-thru. A: What is order or change your order? +$800 (Total: $600)
• Logic ($1000): When I ask if you if everything on the order screen is correct, what do you do? What is don't say it is, and proceed to yell at me when the burger is made wrong for you. Read the freakin' screen and let me know if I need to change anything. It takes like 2 seconds people. +$1000 (Total $1600)
• Things Said in Music History ($1000): This is one thing that a music history video should do. A: What is pronounce the composer's name...correctly. ) -$1000 (Total: $600)

Dang. Out of time. The Final Jeopardy category is... My Job?!

I will go double or nothing again then. ...I guess. Wager: $600

This is the first thing you do when I start my shift.

*Jeopardy music plays*

My response: What is start working?
Answer: What is clock in, then proceed to not wonder why you cannot clock out to go on break?
Total Winnings $0

Looks like we can't have nice things again. Sorry about that.

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

There is a problem. There is a problem indeed. We do things that make me cringe and I find it not hard to say something incredible snarky afterwards. Because of my one of my favorite TV shows, "Archer," I have been saying that we cannot have nice things since the end of my sophomore year. After hearing that phrase, I have learned that it can be applied to many, many things. I don't necessarily have to apply it to my life (and to be honest, more times than I need to), because I can also apply it to the surrounding world.

When I started the year as a PA, I was really excited, but also nervous. Would my peer group members like me? Will I be a "good" PA? Will any of them leave during NSO Week? Spoiler Alert- Everythings went perfectly, my members showed up to every event, my members still follow me around whenever they see me on campus, and other very positive things. As you can see, I am spewing a bunch of BS. Things went swimmingly, but not as well as I would like. Here's one big thing that happened that I should probably remember for next year. When you get a piece of paper telling you what your members' group advising rooms and a piece of paper telling you of individual advising rooms, it would probably help if we read the right sheet. I may or may not have done this causing awkwardness when members went to the individual advising sessions (for the ones that arrived late, or didn't get to meet their advisors.

When I was in music theory two month ago, there were things that were just downright epic fails, in class and at work (at my time at a fast food establishment, there have been things that make me judge). It's fun being a music minor, but it's not fun continually bombing questions that someone in a theory I class could have answered. It's also fun watching and and seeing someone unforgivably playing a certain Rebecca Black song in music theory. That day a murder was committed, and the victim's name was music.

At the fast food establishment I work at, it's probably a good thing to not dump an ENTIRE bucket of ice on the floor...while your boss is watching. In fact, there are several good things to not do while your boss watches. 1) Spilling a large drink. In front of the customer. While they watch you from their car at the drive-thru window. 2) Dropping a bunch of baskets (should I mention that this was also on the security camera...yeah, I should probably mention that. 3) Do not ask the person in the drive-thru if they want their food for here or to go. 4) If someone orders a combo, it is probably not advisable for your next question to be, "Did you want that in a combo?" 5) "Hot things are hot." That's a lesson that I think I really need to learn, and it's the thing that I say the most.

My other job on campus...maybe all I need to say is that people need to give people normal names, or at least pronounceable names. I am not going to call someone with the letters "X," "Z," "Q" and "B" with their name being pronounced Terry. Parents of the students we call...really...all you need to do is say that the student is busy, I don't need to know that your son/daughter is in the bed/shower with their boyfriend/girlfriend. That's a little too much information.

When I was in my first music history class, it is probably good to not spill your pumpkin spice latte all over your notes. On the plus side, I now have fantastic multicolored notes that also function as pumpkin spice smelling notes. It's also an epic fail when you write down the right answer to a problem, it's something that we are all victims of, and proceed to tell yourself that you're not correct. Then you write down the wrong answer.

I recently took a sociology class. I was told to not take it because of how hard it was. I was very cocky and was like, "Yeah, I got this." Yeah...I don't got this. It turns out that I had a crazy professor. Great. I thoroughly enjoyed the fourteen straight hours of working on my project and the getting to bed at 5 A.M. I also enjoyed looking really sketchy with my sociology groups, taking pictures and writing notes about the products in the mall. It also looks really sketch when your are walking around at Target at 10 p.m. writing down store prices. It's a good thing I also had to pick up some things while I was at work.

It's also fun seeing interactions on Facebook. Last year, I heard that someone used a permanent marker to write on a dry erase board. People, walking around in sweatpants with words across your butt i,s NOT attractive. I repeat, NOT attractive. Which also reminds me of the duck face. Yeah...Donald Duck is a fictional character. Sorry to break your hearts by telling you that. Actually, the whole social aspect of the internet needs to come into play here. A certain Rick Perry video that has sprouted up...actually, I think I can stop there. There's no need to watch something fail on its own; just take a look at the like to dislike ratio.

I also noticed this weekend that there is going to be a third Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. Thanks America. You let this happen. That is why we can't have nice things.