I Dare You to Move

Hi, everyone!

Shanah Tovah to everyone who is celebrating the new year!

We only had one day of classes this week so we've had basically a full week of vacation. But it hasn't felt like much of a vacation to me. I've been going over my notes, reading my textbooks, and just trying to get organized for the rest of the semester. Not that I'm complaining. Being busy feels good. I like to feel like I am doing something with my life. haha.

Next Tuesday is the primary election, and it will be the first time that I will actually vote in a primary election. I actually didn't vote in either the primary or the general election, in the first year that I was eligible to vote because I was at Hunter all day, and I didn't feel like getting up early to go to the polling place. Last year, I didn't vote in the primary election, but I did vote in the general election because we had to pick our next president, and that's kind of a big deal. :p This year is a big election year for New York so I will voting in both the primary and general elections.

I've been having a hard time deciding who to vote for in the primary in regards to the mayoral and comptroller positions. I think I've finally come to some kind of a decision, but I won't be revealing it here! (at least, not yet!)

Bloomberg has been with us for a long time, and I know that people say that they're tired of him and that he's this horrible person. But the truth is, he's done a great job of handling this city for the last 12 years. We are not an easy city to govern. There is so much going on that needs to change. He did a good job of helping us progress as a modern city. The next mayor needs to be someone who understands the essence of New York and who is sympathetic to our needs and concerns.

As for the comptroller position, Spitzer and Stringer both seem to be capable candidates. When Spitzer was governor, I thought he was great, albeit I was 13-years-old when he was elected, and I didn't know the first thing about politics. Then, all that ugly stuff happened, and he had to resign. So now he's back, and I don't really know what to make of him. He's incredibly intelligent, but can we trust him? Even though Stringer seems like he could do a good job as comptroller, I'm not too excited by him.  At the end of the day, we need someone who will get the job done, but I'm still on the fence about those two.

Last Saturday, I woke up with a swollen and itchy right earlobe. Sounds weird, right? The last time this happened was when I was 16. Back then, my doctor told me I was allergic to a certain metal in my earrings, and she gave me some cream, and everything was fine. This time, I was wearing hypoallergenic earrings so I didn't understand what was going on. That Thursday, my dad had put some iodine on my earlobe because I had a small bump in my ear. Then, on Friday, I saw some people giving my ear a weird look, and I saw that my earlobe had begun to smell and was getting itchy. On Saturday, I woke up with this weird looking ear lobe so I took off my earrings off. I noticed that the earrings had turned blackish, which I think might be because the metal reacted with the iodine. I thought maybe that was the reason for the allergic reaction. The swelling still wouldn't go down. Then, I thought that it might be infected. I ended up going to the dermatologist on Sunday who told me that it was probably a combination of an allergy and an infection. Yay for me! =( She prescribed me some cream and antibiotics, and my earlobe is back to normal. So why am I telling you guys this story? Be careful what kind of earrings you wear. It's good to wear gold earrings or hypoallergenic earrings. I don't know what happened with my hypoallergenic ones. Maybe the metal just corroded or the iodine ruined them. But it's better not to wear the fake stuff because you never know how your body will react. Also, avoid touching your earlobe with unwashed hands.

Also, on that same Saturday as my little earlobe drama, I found out that my Macaulay Hunter advisor, Adrienne Fitzgerald, is leaving Macaulay Hunter to go to Macaulay John Jay. They've just started up the Macaulay program there so she'll have a hand in developing it. I'm so sad to see her go because she is just so awesome at her job. She knows a ton about the different opportunities available out there, and she's always available for help whenever I have questions about anything. I truly wish her the best. She's a real star.

S.

This week's featured song is one that I heard a few years ago while listening to the radio. I immediately fell in love with it because of its fantastic message. Whether I'm sad or happy or anything in between, this song makes me feel just a little more alive.

Song of the Week

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
Tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened before

~ "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot