1 Degree Down, 3 More to Go

So technically this semester I will have an Associates Degree, although I am not graduating nor am I walking or doing any sort of ceremony (unless you count laying on the beach sipping cold drinks as a ceremony). I know that I still have a long way to go before people call me "Dr. Shauntae: Master of the English Language and Human Experience since the Rise and Fall of the Confederate Union" (I am working on an acronym for that). But I also know not to discount my accomplishments and experiences because they are mine and I love them all. So to celebrate my achievement of attaining an A. S. I will share a few of my experiences and most important lessons and as you may have guessed, most of them have nothing to do with Literary Studies (which is my undergrad major for those of you who don't know). Also we need to note that these lessons have been learned in the last 7 years since that sort of is how long it took me to get this far (not all 7 years were spent in school btw I am not retarded just move at my own pace). And many of these lessons I am still learning. Anyway here we are life lessons according to Shauntae:

1: No matter how many times I tell spell check to ignore the spelling of my name, it will also say that it is spelled wrong and I will always get annoyed about it.

2: Most teachers just want you to come to class, we all know they have nothing to say, they just want to feel important by having a full classroom. And the more often you come to class, the more favored you are by the teachers.

3: Some stereotypes in life are true. People are favored for being pretty. Case in point: Me. I am charming and pretty and male teachers are nicer to me than they are to the men in my class. This is also true for some of the female teachers.

4: I am not ashamed to use my good looks and charm to get what I want and need. And there is nothing wrong or conceited about knowing you are not ugly (although it may sound like it here) and acting like you are ugly sort of makes you ugly. Or at least annoying to be around. Basically, behaving like you are something less than what you are does not get you anywhere and act that way long enough, soon enough you become less than what you are.

5: Sometimes it is alright to end you sentence in a preposition. Only when speaking or writing in colloquial voice, I learned this in grammar class. I also learned that everything you need to know about grammar, you learned in grade school. And if you didn't learn it in grade school, you will never learn it.

6: I spent a lot of time avoiding doing homework in bed because I read an article saying you should not work in bed and because a lot of other people said it is awful to do homework in bed. So I avoided it until one day I said to myself "Self, let us do homework in bed, no one will know." And so I did and it was the best homework I have ever done. I was finally relaxed and comfortable and quite brilliant actually.

7: And this could be the most important lesson I am still learning: I am an adult now and I know what is best for me. I have found that I only waver and doubt when I heed others advice. And this actually opens a whole can of lessons which may be too deep for a blog post.

8: When I am not getting the results I want, try a different approach. For example: I am not BF's mother but I was acting like. Don't do this, do this, pick up your socks, you'll be happier if you do it this way. . . It was not getting me where I wanted, I was unhappy and neither was he. I though I knew what was best for his life and if he would do that, my life would be easier but it wasn't. So after a few dramatic events and some heartfelt conversations with a close friend, I decided to be his friend and lover and not his mother. It is harder than it sounds and we are happier than ever. I have more peace in my life.

9: And although some may not agree with the choices I have made, I have learned that love and forgiveness are never the wrong choice.

10: And finally, I have learned that some things never change. I have one final paper to turn in before finals. It is due tomorrow and I am supposed to be writing it right now and here I am, blogging.

Expect another long post like this in a year and a half, when I have achieved some B.S. Peace and love.