Over the past two weeks I have learned more about blogging than I think I ever wanted to know. I learned how to create a blog, an avatar, post things to my wall and comment on others. I have learned that it would be beneficial to America to be self sufficient in growing our own foods and making our “yard” into and “vegetable garden”.  The most I have learned though is (somewhat sadly) that I relate all too well to the book I have chosen for Read and Seed. I have learned that alcohol is no more than a cover-up for true happiness, and the potential for dangerous situations increases greatly when alcohol is involved. On a lighter note, I didn’t think I would ever have enough to write about to post once a month much less three plus times a week! So far this has been great and I look forward to keep on blogging!

Read and Seed: Smashed, a Story of Drunken Girlhood

This week I covered the first section of the book which included the first 4 chapters and the first 85 pages. What was surprising to me was that the author did not condemn girls who drink, she does not pass judgment, and she simply retells her experiences.  Zailckas talks about the amazing parties she went to in high school and college she discusses the immense high she got from drinking and kissing boys, and she relates how freeing being drunk was to her.  However, Zailckas makes the consequences of her actions painfully clear when she tells of how she ended up in a coma after a night of binge drinking, and how she lost a few good friends over drinking. Zailckas sites sources to astonishing facts like: “The girls from middle-class families indulge in binge drinking excessively in comparison to those from poor families. It is seen that girls consume alcohol in a greater proportion as compared to boys by the time they reach 14 years of age.”  One piece of terminology that almost makes me sick when I think about is too much is the term “dead drunk” meaning dinking to the point of a comatose state.   

When we think about the long-term affects of young females drinking this is a truly frightening situation. Many girls like Zailckas feel like a social outcast, they feel awkward and uncomfortable in social situations, so in order to cover that up, they drink. This has become a pretty common fix for being socially awkward but it has replaced “stepping out of your comfort zone” where many people grow the most. Girls miss out on meaningful friendships because, like Zailckas they seek out a bond that lasts only as long as the bottle. Zailckas stated that she felt like a whole part of her life was missing when she decided to stop drinking, she missed out on creating long-term friendships and relationships, and when it comes to a society that is like that it could mean kids without involved parents.

It is pretty clear after reading this that the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy should be banned from parenting when it comes to drinking. Parents should talk to their kids openly about drinking and be honest about long-term affects of drinking especially at an early age.



Eye Opener

I took the Eco footprint quiz and I was not surprised to discover that I am just one of the many Americans living way beyond the means of our planet. If everyone on the planet lived a lifestyle like mine we would be in search of three other planet Earths to meet our needs. I think the biggest and most practical thing that I could do to decrease my ecological footprint would be to eat less animal products. I really don't think that would be too hard for me to do until it gets to be winter time and I want to indulge in beef stew and a big ol' mug of milk. Other than that, I really prefer fish to meat anyway, and now that i know it's less costly to the environment I would willingly trade a salad for a burger any day.