My School day in 2041

                It was an early Monday morning that I was awoken by my shaking bed and my alarm clock tapping my shoulder telling me that it’s time to get up. I rolled out of bed to my already made breakfast, compliments of the toaster oven that I programmed to have my toast done for me right when I woke up. As I sat in my comfy pajama pants and tank top, I spread butter on my toast and whipped out my touch screen laptop with the virtual keyboard to check my e-mail before I start my day. I had a few video messages, one from the honors program secretary informing us of our Monday messages, and the others from one of my music professors with my assignment for the week and some people who I’m working on a project with trying to figure out their part to the assignment. When it got close to ten o’clock it was time to log in to the school account for my honors reading class. Being a small class, it was set up so that we would all conference call at ten twice a week to discuss our readings for the week. With our larger classes, we just get to pull up the lecture and sign in to a blog account where we submit our questions and hold discussions, but because of the smaller size class, we can hold face to face discussions via webcam. After the reading class was completed it was time for me to start on my music assignments for the week. With my keyboard set up in my room, I just have to pull up my practice music for the week, plug my laptop into the keyboard so that my practice time is registered, then practice for two half hour sets. Following that I wait for my set time then log back on to video chat with my voice instructor for my lesson. After lessons I have to pull up the lecture for theory and complete and submit the assignment for the day. Throughout that, I usually just stay in my pajamas until lessons time, because we are always required to have a respectable presence for our music classes. Once a month we have to go in for in person lessons, where we have to dress properly, but as long as we are respectful in what we have on for web lessons, we are fine.

                After I finished with school for the day, I called up my best friends and we were off to find some food, with my friends and I that tends to be a top priority. There are two places on campus, both of which are all organic, and both generally have the same food options, just shorter lines since there are two. We can go online and send in what we want and by the time we get there it’s ready, and if you don’t want to go there, then they’ll bring it to you. We have endless amounts of options from areas all around the world, and any kind of dessert you can ever imagine with any kind of fruit no matter what season it is, and it’s always sweet.

Our favorite thing to do after food is go back to the dorms, and watch a movie. A wall in our dorm is also a TV screen. All we have to do is walk up to it, touch it, then tell it what movie we want to watch and it pulls it up. That night we watched one of the new releases that wasn’t even out on  3D Blu-ray yet, so it was pretty exciting.

Life is pretty easy, I generally don’t have to leave my room or even get dressed for the day if I don’t want to. The college life of pajamas and room service is totally where it’s at.

My Love for My Voicemail

To be me is to have a family of six in four different cities across Florida, who knows how many cousins in at least four different states, and a long distance boyfriend along with some of my closest friends about four hours away. Having the people closest to me living so far away isn’t easy, especially since we each have our own crazy schedules of ridiculousness. So how do we all manage to stay close? There’s one clear answer: voicemail.

My sisters and I have always been close, after the three of us shared one room together for… I don’t even know how long, we each grew together always having each other there for us no matter what. Now that we each live in a different city and dare going to school along with having jobs and serious relationships, being there for each other hasn’t exactly been the easiest. Due to such road blocks, we have learned the art of voicemail. Our voicemails have saved us so many times. When you are having one of those days where everything is going wrong and no matter what you do you just can’t get it ride and everyone is busy so you have no one to talk to, it’s ok, all we have to do is open our phones and call each other. Of course they can’t pick up because they’re in the middle of life (just like whoever is calling will be as soon as they hang up) so you wait for the beep and let it all out. We’ve learned to keep our voicemail boxes clean so there are always at least a few minutes worth of venting time open (and if not, we’re pro at calling back and leaving multiple). Every girl knows that when you’re having a day like I described all you really need is to let it all out and someone to hear it and our voicemails are perfect for it because as soon as the receiver is free, we listen to the message and reply with love and understanding and back up for whoever or whatever messed with us, which the new receiver gets to listen to and feel even better than before. We not only use voicemails for venting, but also for pep and checking in. Sometimes when I’m in class I get a call just saying, “Hi, thinking of you! I hope you’re having a great day!” Then there are the times when we leave each other songs, singing, playing an instrument, rapping, or jokes that randomly pop in our heads that don’t actually make sense, just because we’re thinking about each other and want them to have a good day. Voicemail is also our way of getting information to each other fast. We’re generally good at checking our e-mail, but when there is a voicemail, there is a guarantee that the message will be received as soon as that sister is free. My mom has started to jump on the bandwagon along with a few friends and cousins, and it has been such a help.

I love my voicemail; it has kept my sisters and I very close and has only proven itself to be useful and helpful in many ways. It has helped simplify issues that have been prevented and I don’t know what I would do without it.