Life has been really rough lately...

Since school has been out, I've had the greatest luck imaginable.

First, I won a DMB contest and got their new CD (Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King) about two weeks early! It's absolutely amazing. They never cease to amaze!

I also got a new car! It's a 2009 silver Ford Fusion. I love it...it has the SYNC package inside. So, it can sync with my phone and iPod and I talk to the car and it will play whatever I say or call whoever I want. Sun roof, in-dash 6-CD player, Sirius satellite radio, 28 miles per gallon. I'm still trying to come up with a name for it. Let me know if you have any ideas.



I got a new phone with bluetooth capability and a new iPod FOR my car. I'm a spoiled brat. Literally.

Last week, Jenn and I went to see Third Eye Blind. We decided to stand in the first row of the second level. Excellent choice. I usually choose to stand in the pit. Consequently, I get kicked in the head by crowd-surfers, drown in sweat, and have trouble breathing while trying to dodge drunken fights. Our new spot was eye-level with the band and we had plenty of room. Low vs. Diamond opened. They were one of the best opening bands I've ever seen. They remind me a lot of the Killers. Check them out. Third Eye Blind was great, as always. They played about half and half old and new stuff. Their new stuff sounds really good and I'm eagerly awaiting Ursa Major's release this summer. However, the most impressive thing about 3EB for me is their absolute devotion to their fans. I have NEVER seen a band that goes out of its way to meet people and make everyone happy. They took requests from the crowd, brought six people backstage before they started, and shouted out to a fan that wrote to them on their Twitter.

Yesterday, Dad and I went to see A Chorus Line at the Aronoff. I'm even further convinced that it is my favorite musical of all-time. The music is incredible, the story is great. I just love it. After the show, we went to an early dinner at Cadillac Ranch. As I was walking back from the bathroom, I spotted NICK LACHEY sitting at the bar. I literally stopped walking and my jaw dropped. He saw this and smiled. I smiled back but decided not to bother him and returned to my dinner. After much persuasion, my dad convinced me to go with him over to Nick and talk to him. This is how it went:

Dad: I understand that your name is Nick Lachey.
Nick: I understand the same thing.
Dad: Well, I'm Page Johnson and this is your biggest fan, my daughter Brittany. (Gross overstatement, by the way).
Nick (shakes my hand): It's nice to meet you.
Dad: I also understand that you went to Miami. So does she.
Nick: That I did. How do you like it there?
Me: I love it.
Random guy drinking a beer with Nick: Stay there as long as you can. Real life sucks.
Nick: What is your major?
Me: I'm a political science and spanish double major.
Nick: Not very many Spanish speakers in Butler County.
Me: *laugh like an idiot*
Dad: Can she get a picture with you?
Nick: Of course. I'd love to get a picture with my fellow Redhawk.
Dad: *click*



Then, we launched into the normal "It was nice to meet you" jib jab. He was incredibly nice...and of course, highly attractive. :)

LP graduated on Saturday. I can't believe that my family no longer has any connection to Lebanon High School. It's actually very depressing. Lebanon was so great to me and, unlike many, I loved high school. I have so many wonderful memories from class, football games, teachers, friends. It's just strange to think that that chapter of our lives is completely done. It was wonderful to watch LP graduate though. He graduated with a lot of honors from the career center. He won awards of distinction in his field and I was extremely proud of him. He has truly become a kind and upstanding young man...let alone an awesome little brother.



As a matter of fact, the only thing that has gone wrong since summer started is the flood of Central Perk. Our sump pump stopped working and the basement (Jenn, Cara, and my room) flooded with about an inch of water. No one knew for a few days because we weren't living there. When Katie found it, it smelled like rotting flesh (literally) and a lot of our stuff was ruined. We went to Oxford to salvage as much as we could. Overall, things weren't too bad. The only major thing that I lost was my keyboard. I'm just grateful. It could have been far worse...at least it wasn't a fire!

The last couple of weeks have been a perfect time for me to reflect on how unbelievably lucky I am. It goes without saying that I'm spoiled in a material sense, but I am also truly spoiled in a relationship sense. I can't describe to you how lucky I am to have these people in my life. I have the most tremendous parents you could ever imagine. They would drop anything if I needed them. They show me everyday what true love is and they have taught me how to love others. My mom has inspired me with her selfless devotion to her children and home. If I can be even half the mother she is, I'm set. My dad has instilled in me work ethic, determination, and a love for all things new and different. He has opened my eyes to the world and I will never be the same. It has been so wonderful to spend time with my siblings. Despite our differences, they show me unconditional love and mutual appreciation. I love them with everything I have. As if my family weren't enough, I have the most amazing best friends. Jenn is constantly re-defining what it means to be a best friend and showing me firsthand how rewarding it is to be completely selfless. I basically have a second family that cares for me like one of their own. Over the years, Mr. and Mrs. Koenig, Kelly, and Josh have become family to me, too. Sib, Morgan, and Ashley have finally proven to me that distance does not mean that all is lost. They are truly the first relationships I have had that have grown STRONGER since we've been apart and I love them so much. TJ, Eric, CJ, Nick, and Ben are the most comfortable friends I've ever had. I feel completely free to say whatever I want around them and I know that they will love me no matter what, despite how unbelievably weird I can be. Cara, Lindsey, Jessica, Sarah, Katie, and Kristin have been fantastic housemates. Contrary to popular belief, eight girls can live in a house without fighting. Sayre, Ben, Matt, Neal, Alex, Kenny, Christie, Steph, Devon, Britit, Rob, Kaytee, and Dana have shown me that separation and not talking may weather a friendship, but it doesn't end it. Everytime I see them, I feel like we pick up right where we left off.

Things have changed so much over the last three years, but honestly, I wouldn't change it for the world. I feel so loved and ultimately happy right now. I can't possibly explain how grateful I am for everyone in my life. I live in a wonderful place, go to a wonderful school, have amazing opportunities, and most importantly, I'm surrounded by Grade-A people that make me better for having known them. I might forget how lucky I am from time to time when things go wrong, but don't worry. It never takes me long to remember.

For those too brain-dead from exams to decipher whether this is good or bad news, I'll coordinate these with symbols.

+ One exam left
- It's going to be a rough exam with a lot of studying tonight
+ David Archuleta may as well be the next American Idol...he sang an Elvis song better than Elvis last night. :)
+ American Gladiators is back next Monday.
- I have to get a job this summer...and I'm still jobless.
+ I CANNOT WAIT TO HANG OUT WITH MY D4L GIRLS
+ I'm going to practice piano all summer long.
+ HOORAY FOR FREE READING!
- For the first time, I'm not excited to go back to Lebanon.

Don't get me wrong. I miss all of my friends and family from back home, but I'm really happy here. I'm incredibly excited for classes to be done, but I love the people here. Finally, I found a group of people and it feels right with them. When I left high school, I never thought I'd find another group of friends that I felt comfortable around. I thought I had to start over, make good first impressions, and pretend to be someone I wasn't, so that people weren't creeped out by my blunt honesty, my fear of bananas and prepositions, my lack of peripheral vision, etc.

I was wrong, though. With the exception of D4L, I finally found a group that I feel MORE comfortable with. I don't censor myself in the least bit, I say exactly what I'm thinking, and we have fun. Unfortunately, also for the first time, members of this group of friends don't live within a 20-mile radius of me. Needless to say, I'm going to be slightly sad when I get back home.

At any rate, it's time for me to study for 30 minutes before Jeopardy. :)

[	mood	|	frustrated	]
[	music	|	"No Air" - Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown	]

New Rule: Don't call me a "Pagan."

Pa-gan [pey-guhn] - noun
1. one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.
2. someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures

- Synonyms: heathen, gentile

Look, I realize that dictionary.com and wikipedia aren't the most reliable sources but here's a brief summary of what PAGANISM is.

Paganism has connotations of SPIRITUALIST practices or beliefs of any FOLK RELIGION. It includes Eastern religions, Native American religions and mythologies, neoreligions (like Wicca), and ethnic religions. It is comparable to "heathen" and "infidel." Ethnologists avoid using the term because it is OFFENSIVE and instead, they use the terms "polytheism," "shamanism," and "pantheism." 

The originial meaning of the Latin word paganus was an adjective meaning "rural" or "of the country." This meant that people living outside of urban areas were called "pagans" and it was used to mean "villager" or "country dweller." It is similar to today's usage of the word "HILLBILLY." It is now commonly used as an insult by adherents of monotheistic religions (such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). However, it most often refers to the religions of classic antiquity, GREEK MYTHOLOGY or ROMAN religion. "Pagan" came to signify a person who is "sensual, materialistic, self-indulgent, unconcerned with the future and uninterested in sophisticated religion."

I'll stop there.

Come on, people. I'm not a Christian. Does that make me a Wiccan, a Native American, or an Ancient Roman? I'm not saying there is anything wrong with those religions...I just don't adhere to them. I don't appreciate being called a hillbilly and I don't think I'm any more sensual, materialistic, or self-indulgent than most of the Christians that I know. I sure as hell know I'm concerned with the future and I'm also incredibly interested in sophisticated religion. To put it bluntly, I don't like being called a heathen or an infidel.

As a matter of fact, members of other Abrahamic religions call Christians "pagans." With the Roman Catholic saints and the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, it's easy for members of other religions to think that Christians are quasi-polytheistic. I bet you don't like that. So, if you can't take it, stop dishing it out.

I'll make it simple. We'll try the transitive property for the visual learners:

Brittany = Pagan
Pagan = Heathen
Brittany = Heathen

...I don't like that. So, stop. If you're going to use a term with a negative/offensive connotation, figure out what it means and who you're talking about first. I apologize for my smartass attitude...it just makes me angry.

I have been called a "pagan" at least three times to my face by people I consider good friends. However, I encountered the most ignorant usage of the term "pagan" the other day when I saw that someone said they were going to try to vomit at a party on High Street, in an attempt to appear like a drinker and "attract the pagans."

Now, not only was this person referring to all non-Christians as pagans, but he/she was also assuming that all non-Christians are drinkers. I cannot begin to explain how angry this makes me. I'm not a Christian, I also don't drink. I don't go to parties because there is drinking there...as a matter of fact, I avoid them at close to all costs. I think I live a relatively moral life...without being a Christian. 

In addition, on Green Beer Day, a small group of friends and I went uptown so that I could buy some Blue Moo Cookie Dough. Now, on the way back, we were stopped by a group of three people, asking us if we had anything we wanted to pray about. They proceeded to ask us if we believed in God and then, asked what we were doing uptown that day...in an incredibly accusatory tone. They were, in short, assuming we were drinking. Despite the fact that I admire their bravery for taking to the streets and putting up with belligerent drunks, I was highly offended that they assumed that just because I was uptown that night...I was a drinker or that I hadn't found God.

Also, since I'm on the topic already...

Agnostic - 
1. A person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.
2. One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
3. One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.

Atheist - 
1. A person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being.
2. Someone who denies the existence of god.

Learn that while you're at it.

Lately, I’ve been in a Batman state of mind.

I was asked the other day who my favorite superhero is…and without hesitation, replied, “Batman.” So, now I’ve been analyzing the reasons why.

First of all, Batman, unlike most superheroes, has no super powers. He wasn’t bitten by a spider. He isn’t from another planet. He isn’t a mutated or doctored super human. Instead, he is an affluent, intelligent, ladies’ man with too much time on his hands. After witnessing the tragic and random murder of his parents, Bruce inherits his father’s private technology company and the accompanying fortune. So, what does he choose to do? Save Gotham City. Bruce Wayne works himself to physical and intellectual perfection in an attempt to combat the random acts of violence that stole the lives of his parents. All Bruce has to work with is his excellent physical condition, his money, and the subsequent technology and cutting-edge weapons that his money allows him to purchase.

I think Batman is mostly commendable for his work because of his lack of credit. Sure, Peter Parker isn’t credited with being Spiderman. Clark Kent is known only as a reporter for the Daily Planet. But, let’s be honest. Batman is the only major superhero that is thought to be a villain by the civilians he tries to save (with the exception of Spiderman sometimes). The people of Gotham City view Bruce Wayne as an immature playboy that only cares about himself, his money, and the women he attempts to woo. The citizens of Gotham City also think Batman is a freak, a villain along the lines of the many characterized criminals that stalk the city’s dark allies.

So, why provide justice for a city that doesn’t give you the deserved credit or reputation? Is it best to be just, even when you aren’t recognized as such? As a matter of fact, Batman is commonly recognized as “unjust.” So, why not join the likes of the Joker, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, the Penguin, or Scarecrow? A person can be unjust and reap many benefits if they are not caught. A person known as unjust might as well be unjust, in order to reap those benefits, right? But no. Despite the bad reputation, Bruce commits his life to the betterment of Gotham City. He always remains just, despite having to sacrifice living a stable personal life.

In other words, be more like Bruce Wayne. You don’t have to make yourself a skin-tight costume fashioned in the image of your favorite animal. You don’t have to have a badass butler or a cave in which you plan the next evening’s crime-fighting spree. But, you should always do what is right…even when you aren’t commended for it.

I think that is a major problem with today’s generation. People are more than willing to do the “right” thing or the charitable thing…as long as they’re praised for it or it benefits them in some way. Sure, we’ll join community service groups…to improve our resume or college application. We’ll help a friend if we know they’ll repay the favor in the future. We’ll donate money to a cause in order to feel better about ourselves. I’m guilty, too.

Since when did the “right” thing to do become the convenient thing to do? I’m not saying that everyone should live in borderline poverty in order to help everyone else. I’m just suggesting that a little altruism isn’t so bad sometimes. At the very least, you’ll be making someone else’s day and purifying your soul. Being at peace with yourself and helping others to do the same. That’s what it’s all about.

It’s best to do what’s right, despite the praise and benefits involved with it. Just ask Batman.

Wow…what the heck kind of entry was that?