A Series of Posts

I'm Rach, a 19 year old English and Journalism student at the University of Lincoln.

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Breaking Bad, a frustrating ending?

So I’ve just recently finished watching the entire Breaking Bad series. And all I can say is…what?! Are you for real?! You’re going to drag it out over five series and just end it like that?!

  Loads of my friends were constantly nagging me like “come on Rach, you HAVE to watch it!” and I’d just be like yeah, yeah, give me some time. So I started it, and was ‘like holy sh*t this is actually pretty good’ and so carried on watching.

  It’s taken me a couple of months due to uni work and my part time job getting in the way of my free time, and towards the ending I was itching to find out what happens to Walt because everyone raved on about how good the ending was.

  So there I am, on the last episode of the entire series, literally clawing at my duvet due to my anticipation. Then it ended. And I just kind of sat there, mouth wide open. When the episode finished I double checked on Netflix that it was definitely the last episode, and it was.

  The reason why I’m so p*ssed about the ending is because it…just kind of…ended. There was a slight indication of what would happen to everyone, but I just didn’t get how the producers thought that this was an appropriate ending to, what is, a bloody brilliant drama series.   

  So I was speaking to my friend, and he said ‘well how else could it have ended?’ Fair point, it makes sense for the programme to end the way that it did, but surely it could’ve been a bit more dramatic? No one else seems to understand why I’m so frustrated, and obviously I’m not going to state what happens just in case I’m spoiling it for anyone out there.

  I completely understand that not giving the audience an idea of what happens to everyone after the series has finished means there’s room for a person’s own interpretation, but I want to know more! Don’t just leave me hanging, that’s not fair at all! But, at the end of the day, looks like I’m one of the few people that were disappointed with the ending. 

367 words, 27/03/2014

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Taking selfies for charity

It got released today that Cancer Research UK received £1million in 24 hours because of the ‘no makeup selfie’ craze that has spread across Facebook in support of breast cancer.

  So yeah, great! People are doing a good thing, donating money, showing their Facebook friends list their bare face. But of course there’s got to be a handful of those a**holes who still want to slag all of these girls off.

  I don’t understand why some people have such a problem with people they know doing something like this for a good cause? The one ironic thing though is that these people moaning about the selfies are the people who were totally backing the nekominations. So basically people with no brain cells are the ones who think that the selfies are a bad idea. Okay then.

  I know a lot of guys are slagging off the no makeup selfies because apparently there’s ‘nothing for testicular cancer awareness’. Well guess what boys? There is! And it’s called ‘c*ck in a sock’. Yep, you guessed it. You put your penis in a sock, take a photo, share it on Facebook, nominate some friends and donate to Cancer Research UK! There we go, everyone wins!

  I totally understand though people slagging off others who have taken a selfie and shared it but not donated to the charity. It’s a £3 donation, not really breaking the bank are you? And you’ll be doing good by donating in the first place. Haven’t these girls seen how overwhelmed the charity is due to the large amounts of donations flooding in? £1million in 24 hours is pretty damn amazing!

  The only thing I ask for is that these ‘no makeup selfies’ and ‘c*ck in a sock’ last on Facebook a lot longer than those bloody nekominations, because at least a charity is majorly benefitting from it. It’s amazing how quickly things spread on Facebook, and this just shows that social media actually can do good things for people. So middle finger up to those who brand social media as useless and dangerous, because a great charity has received a lot of generous donations from people that actually want to make a change.

365 words, 20/03/2014

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Are drugs better than alcohol?

Since coming to uni, my eyes have been opened to the large amounts of people that take drugs on a night out.

  I still remember being in junior school and having the local police come in and tell us all about how dangerous it is blah blah blah. So how come so many people do it? I know people that use drugs weekly, and I’m not talking about smoking weed.

  Coke and MDMA seem to be the most popular ones to take in the group of people I know. In my opinion I don’t see the appeal of taking some substance that makes you dance like a t*at and gurn your face off for the whole night. Like yeah, you look dead attractive babe.

  I just don’t understand why people can’t just drink on a night out?! Not saying alcohol is any safer, ʼcause obviously even that is dangerous in high doses, but surely that’s better, right?

  One of my friends who regularly takes MDMA always says that it’s cheaper and you have a better night. But at £40 a gram I’m not convinced. I can go out with a maximum of £20 a night and get absolutely wasted and still have money left when I get home. That seems like a better deal to me.

  Also, the things I’ve seen people do when they’re off their faces just totally puts me off. The other week my friend cut his head open really bad after smacking it on his front door when he fell over, and that was because he took drugs.

  I’m not bothered at all if any of my friends take drugs because they can do whatever the hell they want. It just really aggravates me when you get judged for not wanting to do it. Sorry, but I don’t want to make myself look like a complete idiot and hence get kicked out of a club and ruin my evening.

  I just feel that alcohol is a lot better for a night out, even though people act just as stupid when they’re drunk. But at least all you have to deal with in the morning is a hangover instead of a two day come-down. 

367 words, 19/03/2014

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Common courtesy

Why is it that some members of the public seem to lack common courtesy?

  After working as a waitress for the past two years in three different jobs, I can say I’ve definitely had my fair share of nasty customers. For example, a lady shouted at me when the café that I worked at ran out of Cornish pasties. Sorry, but WAS there any need to shout at me? It’s not my fault!

  Sometimes it seems that no matter how nice I am to my customers, I get it thrown back in my face. The one thing that really annoys me about this is the fact that some people fail to believe that being a waitress can be extremely stressful. Like when I’m rushing around my section making sure people have received their drinks and food, and then there’s some idiot clapping and shouting at me for their attention. Last time I checked you wouldn’t behave like that towards a stranger, so why do that to your host?

  I just wish people would be a little more patient and respectful towards me. After all, I am only working to give me some extra money whilst I study at university. Do I really deserve the added stress? No, I didn’t think so either.

  One thing I can’t seem to grasp however is the fact that some people find it extremely difficult to use basic manners. It takes a second to say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’, yet so many people will fail to use these when I take their order or deliver them their food. I always appreciate a customer a lot more if they’re polite to me. I’m always polite and friendly to my customers, so why can’t they be the same to me?

  I completely understand that it’s frustrating when the restaurant is busy and you’ve been waiting a while for your drinks or food, but that doesn’t mean I’m not trying my best to keep you happy. Some people don’t seem to understand that. It seems nowadays that a lot more people haven’t been brought up to be polite to the people serving them in shops and restaurants, or if they have, they’re definitely not using their manners!

  I’m just waiting for the day that I go to work and don’t have to deal with any rude customers.

389 words, 17/03/2014

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The homeless - are they all the same?

It’s very apparent that Lincoln has an issue with the amount of homeless people wandering the streets every day, so should we ignore the stereotypes and help them out?

Richard is quite well known in the city, and is mainly seen sitting on the Brayford just outside the Lucy Towers multi-storey car park. He sits there for hours at a time; his only companion and company is his dog Sticks. Richard is one of Lincoln’s homeless people. Does he fit society’s homeless stereotype? Hardly.

I personally don’t know Richard’s circumstances, or why he ended up on the streets, but what I do know is that he is one of the most polite humans I’ve ever met. He first came to my attention when I recognised him when he was in the queue behind me in McDonalds. I’d seen him the previous evening, sitting on the High Street, with Sticks sitting in his lap. I remember he went up to the counter, collected all of his change up in his hand, and politely asked for a cup of tea. Because that’s all that he could afford. I remember getting a sinking feeling in my chest, because no one should have to choose between a hot drink or a hot meal.

After that encounter, I kept seeing him all around the city, mainly around the High Street area. I’d be on my way to Tesco or Sainsburys, and I’d see him sitting there, his huge red backpack by his side and Sticks sitting in his lap. Every single time I would make sure I got him something to eat, and every time his eyes would light up and he wouldn’t stop thanking me. There have been times when I haven’t been on my way to the shops, and so I’d offer him some change instead. The amazing thing is that he will turn it down, and refuse to take it from me. This is really unusual.

The thing is, Richard doesn’t beg. He doesn’t bother anyone. He sits by the car park minding his own business and watching people walk by. And yet more people will donate to him, because he is a decent human being and many people stop and chat to him. So next time you see a homeless person,  think twice about judging them, and give them a helping hand.

  391 words, 10/03/2014

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Nekominations, a death sentence for the stupid?

Recently it has become apparent that Facebook has been flooded with videos of ‘nekominations’, a new drinking game craze where a participant downs a pint of alcohol. Harmless fun right? Wrong! People have begun taking this game to a new level, such as the boy who did a nekominations using his own sh*t.

  So since this craze began, my Facebook news feed has been bombarded with people I know downing pints of god awful concoctions. Why though? Honestly, what are you getting out of doing it? (Except for a load of guy friends commenting LAD every two seconds, ugh).  

  In the past few weeks that this game became introduced to social media sites, the UK has already seen up to five deaths due to people overdoing it. Isn’t it ridiculous that people have actually died because they’ve tried to outdo everyone else?!  Yeah, bet you look real cool now.

  I witnessed a friend participate in one of these nominations, and it actually made me feel physically sick. Using a pint glass, he added vodka, wine, beer, tequila, tea, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and cream cheese. The look on his face when he was drinking it told the whole story, he hated it. So why do it? We had to suffer the aftermath of this nomination when my friend passed out mid-dance in the middle of a club, resulting in the local wardens escorting him home. Safe to say he didn’t feel great in the morning.

  The thing I want to know is why can’t you just down a pint of beer? Something that maybe won’t be as lethal? Why do people feel the need to go above and beyond, just for 20 likes on your video? It’s not worth it really is it? I mean, surely these people realise downing a bottle of vodka is going to have bad consequences, right?

  As a university student, I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy drinking as much vodka mixers as possible, but that’s just the student culture. I know my limits and I know when to stop. I definitely wouldn’t think of adding anything else to my drink, especially a dead mouse (as one nominee did). Thankfully the videos are slowly dying out, and the nekominations will just become a stupid phase. Let’s hope everyone has come to their senses. 

390 words, 24/02/2014