Whatever happens, don’t make a joke.
So I’ve survived my first semester in Utah. I just turned in my final paper for my last class. I now have to grade 45-ish research papers, but that shouldn’t take me too long because of how good I am at being overly judgemental. And now, I’m going to write a blog entry that totally reflects this quality.
Ah, let’s reflect back on my first few months in Logan, UT. Ok. Well, there’s not actually that much to say. It’s fairly conservative here (an understatement, but well, you know). So conservative, in fact, that I’ve now stopped reading the local newspaper (or tried), the Herald Journal. Because it pisses me off too much, and then I complain, and then I become quite annoying (which others complain about).
The day after Thanksgiving (or maybe the weekend, hard to remember) they had a front-page article all about how “men shop, too.” Did you know that men ALSO like to save money and purchase items that they desire? Whoa! This is some freakin’ mind-blowing crap. And don’t even ask me about the opinion page because I’m going to tell you anyway. Letters to the editor…recently there was one about how how police officers need to pull over more ethnic drivers. In my heart of hearts, I’m seriously hoping this is satirical, but alas, I know it is not. If people in Logan understood satire, CNN wouldn’t need a disclaimer when they post stories from the Onion. I’m pretty sure we’ve found the lowest common denominator.
So I try really hard not to read the paper so I don’t have a heart attack, or waste all of my time responding to idiots who classify whole races by the acts of one person or people who take their religion a little too seriously (and, really, I mean A LOT).
Logan. Logan. Logan. You know, it’s a wonder this town still exists. Only 3 and a half more years…Really, if I just never leave campus, I’ll be fine. Is it odd that two newspaper articles are enough to sum up most of my experience in Utah thus far? Oh yeah, and apparently you can have guns on campus. That’s an important aspect as well. Of course, it really doesn’t affect my use of sarcasm in the classroom, but possibly it should. I’m living life on the edge.
At least they have fun beers chock-full of irony and sarcasm, like Polygamy Porter.It sort of tips the scales in the other direction. Also, there’s the fact that I have yet to receive a Book of Mormon from a student, but a few of my friends who are actually LDS received some this semester. Of course, this COULD just be because my students feel that I am beyond saving. And I just actually censored something I was going to say here. Wow. I am learning a little bit how not to get shot. :)