Day Fourteen- Meeting Hero Hottie

   I was eighteen, in college and working part time at a photography studio in the mall. At least it was only supposed to be part time.
  I glanced at the clock again, and the lateness of the afternoon. I was scheduled off at 3:00 so I would have time to get to my English class at 4:00 o'clock but the big hand was already pointing to the six and my manager was being difficult about letting me leave since the studio was busy.
   But she had promised that on days I had class it wouldn't be a problem to leave on time, even during the busy holiday season. That was our agreement when she hired me. And being only eighteen I actually believed her when she said she understood the importance of showing up for class on time.
   I enjoyed photography and had wrongly assumed this was the perfect job to work in while I went to school. I had been mistaken and was not completely happy with my 'fast food photography' job.
   I finished up with my customer and turned to my manager.
  "I have to go. I'm going to be late."  I said, pointing to the time.
   Her lips pitched together, her eyes narrowing. The seconds ticked by as I held my breath, waiting for her to okay my leaving. She nods and turns to deal with the mess of the holiday Christmas card season.

    I drove the twenty minutes to my class, rushing through the building and quietly sliding into my seat. Class had barely started and the attendance sheet was still on the other side of the room. When the sheet of paper came over to me, I looked at hero hottie's signature. It had taken me a few classes to figure out who's name went with the cute guy across the room but I was pretty sure which one was his. The signature was a decisive and no nonsense lettering.
   We still hadn't talked, but he was the hottest guy in the class and the only one who had caught my attention. I had started college to get my degree, not spend time drooling after boys but here I was spending more time watching hero hottie from across the classroom instead of paying attention to the teacher. Lucky for me, passing English with an A wasn't a problem even though I spent the entire semester distracted.

   He still hadn't talked to me. In fact, he was very quiet, entering and leaving class quickly. And I was way too shy to initiate a conversation. Then the universe stepped in.

  I walked out to my car and curiosity took over. I watched hero hottie walk out to his car. I wanted to see what he was driving. A car can tell a lot about a person.
  Hero hottie walks over to a red car; I suppose profiling people based off their car choice would make more sense if I actually knew the names of the vehicles; but I discreetly watched him as he started unlocking his car. Then I was going to leave but something odd happened, so I stood beside my car, quietly watching. He was still trying to unlock the door. Moments passed as he still messed with the lock and then he knelt down, studying the lock and the key.
   I'm not sure where the courage came from. I didn't even think about what I was going to say, it just came out of my mouth, loud enough to be heard across the parking lot.
   "You're either having trouble with your key or you're admiring your paint job." My first chance to say something to him and I resort to sarcasm to catch his attention. But it must have worked...
   He turned, a bit startled and stared at me. Then he walked over to my car. "The key broke in the lock."
   "Seriously, the key broke in the lock? In the car door. I have never heard of that happening. Ever." I had to tease him a bit. It sounded like a poorly thought out pick up line.
   He nods. "Can you give me a ride to the gas station so I can call my Dad."
   Part of me was more than willing to give hero hottie a lift down to the gas station. It would be a chance to talk to him, spend some time with him. It was the perfect opportunity to catch his attention.
   "No. I can't. I'm sorry." I said. All those years of Mom's warnings not to give rides to strangers were very loud in my head and so I told him I couldn't.
   He frowns. "You can't?"
   "You're a stranger. I don't know you. You know." I must have sounded so young as I shrugged, hoping he would understand. It was just down to the gas station but it must have been all those years in big cities in Oregon. You just don't give rides to strangers.
   Confusion crossed his face but he nods. "I guess I can walk."
   I felt a bit guilty because he was definitely going to miss his next class by having to walk down to the gas station to find a phone and I almost changed my mind but I really didn't know who this person was.
   We started talking for a long time about everything and anything. Finally he writes his name and number down on a piece of paper.
   I had his phone number!! Even after refusing to help him out and drive him down to the gas station, he still wants to talk to me more.
  
   I was late for my next class but I didn't care. I was on cloud nine. I had met a cute boy and he gave me his phone number. And it happened because his key broke in the lock. When does that ever happen? Just when two shy people need a good kick in the rear to get a conversation going.
   From there, the rest is history. But hero hottie still likes to give me a hard time about not giving him a ride down to the gas station.
 
  Why do things happen as if they're supposed to happen? I'm not sure but I can say that I'm grateful for a broken key.

McDegrees...Can I Supersize It?

       If I was living in the UK I suppose I can make my Mum proud and earn a degree...from McDonald's. Yes, I'm seriously talking about that fast food joint that sells a ton of food to children because it comes with a toy. When I was a child I didn't want a Happy Meal because of the burger, it was the toy. Why couldn't all meals come with a toy?
       'Mom, I'll eat my mixed veggies if I can get a toy.'
       Yeah, that never worked and that's why mixed veggies (a horrible combo of peas, carrots, lima beans and corn) always ended up in weird and unusual places. Such as below the rim of my plate, in napkins and in the bottom of milk glasses. If the dog managed to hide under the kitchen table, he was rewarded for his cleverness with mixed veggies, not the chicken he was hoping. (Grin)
      I'm not a big fan of McDonald's. My children have food allergies and can not consume most of their products and after a while of cooking food from scratch because of the aforementioned food allergies, McDonald's food just doesn't taste that great.
     But the toys can still be pretty tempting, especially for adults...I mean children.

     Toys and food aside, who actually wants a business degree from McDonald's? Are there teenagers working at the drive thru and deciding to working at McDonald's forever? Do they want and dream about  obtaining a degree that I would doubt is transferable into other college programs? If I'm wrong, then someone correct me but colleges are ridiculously picky about accepting credits from other schools, do you think a private university is going to look at a business degree from McDonald's and put them right into the fast track of obtaining their MBA. Of course, with how horrible Europe's and America's financial situations are right now, perhaps those MBA's in charge of our countries and large companies do have degrees from McDonald's. On the other hand, as far as I understand from a financial point of view, McDonald's isn't doing too bad, so perhaps the MBA's should have obtained their business degrees from the fast food giant, rather than from books and professors teaching them that to pay your debt you just borrow more money. Mmmm, I tried that once, it didn't work out well.
       Still, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of my child growing up and deciding that she wants to work at McDonald's forever.
       I can hear the commercials now to convince parents of this opportunity. It would be like the armed forces commercials. (Disclaimer, I'm not making fun of the Armed Forces and our troops, just silly commercials.)

      'Mom, I thought long and hard about this and I really need you to understand.' Daughter says, while we're in the kitchen together. The music builds up, I have a look of doubt and worry on my face.
      'I want you to do what makes you happy Daughter, but are you sure this is what you want to do. This is a big decision and then I have to convince your Father.' I wring my hands together.
      "I want to be part of something bigger than me. I want to be part of something I can be proud of. I want you to be proud of me.' She is earnest, full of sincerity and obviously not a real teenager since she's not crying, yelling or slamming doors.
      I take a deep breath. 'I know. But are you sure you want to join...McDonald's?'
     Then the narrator comes on, convincing all parents that a degree from McDonald's in the best thing for their children and besides it comes with a Happy Meal.


       I had siblings that worked fast food, they left as soon as possible. The smell of stale fry oil that clings to everything; your clothes, your shoes, in your car; is not pleasant. The long hours, the cranky customers, the lazy workers, was never a career goal for them. So I supposed to believe that people are eager to obtain a business degree from a fast food company? Perhaps I'm wrong, a career at McDonald's might be a great opportunity in this poor economy and that's probably why the idea of a McDegree is bothering me. I could never see my free spirited children slaving away as a manager in a company that tries to convince everyone that it's a great and wonderful thing because they handed you a degree to do it.
      Call me hopeful, but as a mother I only want big and bright things for my children and working fast food, with or without a degree, isn't something that they will find happiness in.
      Even if it comes with a toy.

Monday Musings...

College and the love of learning...

      I have to admit and without any shame that I didn't finish college. (please hold the gasping) I didn't decide to be a lawyer or a judge like my mother in law wanted and I didn't choose to be a doctor like my Dad was hoping. Sorry Dad. 

     I decided to raise children. Hopefully happy and well adjusted children, or at least as close as I can get considering we are all humans and prone to our own set of quirks, problems, and outlooks right from the moment we exit the womb. Word of warning, a stubborn baby is going to be an equally stubborn child and I suspect an equally stubborn adult. But aren't we all just a bit bullheaded? (grin) 

      But with that being said I did attend college for a couple of years and the college was even paying all my tuition for attending their school. They thought I was smart. At the time I thought I was too, now I know I'm just really good at passing tests. It's inside the box thinking and I was pretty darn good at it. What a fool I was. 

      Being older now, I realize that being inside the box is stifling, restricting, and will drain your soul dry. Scoring great on a test isn't the all end meaning of life. 

     Does anyone remember the joys of learning? Like when we were five and splashing in a rain puddle was a science experiment? When did we lose that love? I think college failed me. I was expecting to learn, to grow, to experience wonder. Instead I had more tests to take, more facts to memorize, which I promptly forgot after the test, and professors that would actually read me their dissertations for our class assignments. Is that a lack of teaching skill, laziness or ego? I even had a Spanish teacher that gave me an A and I couldn't pronounce a single Spanish word correctly. I understood the material, passed the written assignments but I couldn't speak the language we were supposed to be learning. And I received a 'A.'

      I didn't know what I wanted after two years of classes. I wanted to write but most college writing courses don't teach you how to write novels. And I was told by the school that the program I was enrolled in was a stupid program and I wouldn't find any sort of job with that degree. Great, why am I here then? 

      According to a book that recently came out, "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses," 45 percent of U.S. college students show little gains in learning after two years of college. Two years. They have little progress in areas, important areas, like critical thinking, complex reasoning and written communications. 

     Now I'm always wary of studies and statistics, most I feel are funded by corporations that want to obtain certain results. But I think we need to delve further into this study. I know college professors, they complain how classes and students are 'dumbed down'. I talk to students and they're frustrated because they have class after class of useless subjects and learn nothing that has to do with having a career, with strengthening vital cognitive skills, with functioning and contributing to a better society. 

     I know I've learned more on my own, just reading, studying, challenging myself than I ever did from most of my college classes. I certainty haven't used any of the classes to make money or raise a family. And I'm not the only one. So where does that leave us? Reform. Whose reform? 

     A great writer, artist, scientist is not a student that was forced inside a box and told what to think. They are the people that realized there wasn't a box to begin with. 

     And so with all that being said, I'm not saying college isn't useful or necessary. I love learning and would hope that people would realize that it doesn't stop when the school bell rings. But I think college needs a tune up or heck, even a complete engine overhaul. We shouldn't fail our children when the love of learning is one of the most important things we can give them.