Ok...I Think It's That Time

I think it's time I write and post that one blog I was promised from before, so I can get everything cleared up and go on to posting about fun and amazing things (ie: Steve Buscemi.)

Amy and Kristine: I am mostly posting this so I can clear up the confusion that caused you to comment. I know I've e-mailed you individually, but I want to post it here so everyone knows where I stand. I will pick out arguments that you guys made and respond to them. I will, however, put the quotes down prior so I have something to base my comments off of.

Here goes nothing:

Amy: "Having said that, I don't really think it was your place to ask if those boys were underage just because you didn't know them... Are you going to have to ask everyone their age every time anyone is drinking? Whose drinks would you have had to pour out?"
Kristine: "The part that I truly don’t understand is Kyla when you felt the need to ask those guys their age. I am aware that I was not there but I understand that you thought they were underage and felt it your duty to look into it and see (im not attacking that feeling by the way)."

The underagers weren't a major concern for me. I admit that I was a bit overwhelmed walking into the room in the first place, so I guess I had a gut reaction that made me want to ask. I mean, as I told my floor during our first floor meeting "if I don't see it, it's not there." It only becomes a problem when I see it, and in this case, I walked in to what I thought was a big problem. I mean, I understand that underagers have always drank in rez and will continue to drink while in rez. As long as we don't see it, we could care less. And if they had been underage, I would have removed myself from the situation even faster. I would have not only had to dump their drinks (had I stayed and they were indeed underage) but I would have had to write them up and put them on alcohol contract. It was Cecile's birthday party; I didn't want to ruin it for her by writing up a couple people and dumping everyone's drinks. Part of my leaving was so there wouldn't be an authoritative prescence in place. Us RA's tend to be party poopers.

And I didn't ask the guys their age. I took Cecile aside and asked if all her guests were of age. I mean, don't forget that RA's can write people up for suspicion of various infractions, so if for even a second I felt the need to ask, I had to.

Amy: "...but when Bryan wrote "mind their own business and not talk about things they know nothing about." and you wrote "...think about leaving your comments to yourself" --doesn't that statement clash with the purpose of blogging/commenting? I mean, feedback is feedback. Good and bad. If you didn't want any, you wouldn't have a public blog."
Kristine: "As far as what Bryan said. Guess what, you cant assume that the people who wrote those comments have not been in Kylas position. That Anon could even be an RA that is thinking Kyla is lame for making a big deal of it (just playing devils advocate here)…. No one knows.. that’s why they are Anon. So therefore, you comment makes no sense and proves no point, except for that your sticking up for Kyla. Which is cute of course!"

Since he stuck up for me, it's my turn to stick up for him. Bryan is my #2 fan (Lindsay, of course, being #1) and he had to put up with me when: a) I came back from the party crying my eyes out because I felt so lousy about the whole thing and b) when I read the anonymous comments on my blog and got REALLY pissed off and decided to respond. I mean, just as you guys responded emotionally when I posted my blog, I responded emotionally when they posted their comments. We're all human...it's what we do. So my Bryan was just sticking up for me, which I totally appreciate, and is why I keep him around.

As for the publicness of my blog, I have since closed down my blog to anonymous commenters so I know who leaves comments (and who pisses me off) so I can confront them directly (or hunt them down while they sleep :P...joking...that was a joke.)

Amy: "You knew we were goin over to Caps. "What I thought would be an exciting ladies night spent talking, hanging out, and celebrating a birthday, turned into a huge party that I couldn't deal with." I don't know if my perspective was skewed at that point, but people were just kinda sitting around the kitchen. I remember thinking to myself that Cecile and Mindi's friends were pretty mundane."
Kristine: "But I definitely agree with Mahon in the point that it was first pub night, and even any pub night, it is a known that we were getting together for pub and Cecile’s birthday for the sole purpose of getting trashed and having a good time. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise."

As you and I have talked about since then, Amy, I am going to refrain from any major rez parties. It makes things too complex, and issues like this will continue to arise where I feel torn between my friends and my job. I still totally want to hang out at Caps, and I totally want to party at your house. I just think that since I am working and living in the fishbowl that is rez, I will have to avoid getting myself into situations like this in the future.

As for the huge party comment...you have to remember, I had never been to a party with alcohol (other than New Year's parties where only the 'adults' were drinking) until I came to college, so when I walk into a room and everyone is drinking, I get overwhelmed. It's out of my range of comfort and experience, so I think it would be my perspective that is skewed in the whole situation. And I did know (and expect) to find people drinking...I'm fine with drinking within the confines of the rules...but when there are like 5 people in the hallway (including the host) with open alcohol and glass bottles, I get a bit uptight.

Amy: "You said that it was "belittling my moral and job integrity" and I feel like your first entry was really condescending towards people who drink. Does that mean drinkers don't have morals or integrity?"

I'm definitely not saying that. I mean, my parents drink, and my parents have strong morals and are my role models. I was referring to the comments that anonymous made where he/she said "Maybe you're not mature enough to be in this dorm attendant position. Other people would have brushed the situation off and enjoyed themselves." Calling me immature hurts, and telling me that I should have just stayed and sucked it up was not something I wanted to hear.

Amy: "I understand that you want your friends to back you up ("my real friends support me and the decision I made, and that is really all that is important to me"), but I am writing this comment because I want to point out that your friends don't all have to agree with you all the time."
Kristine: "I support her in her decision and I would be here for her if she ever needed me to be. But even as one of her ‘real’ friends I feel like all drinkers have been insulted and been classified as people without dignity. That is upsetting!!!"

What I meant is that my 'real' friends support my decision to leave (which you (Amy) did, when you walked me back to the room and sympathized with my situation.) There are still various nuances of alcohol and partying that I don't understand, and I really have nothing against those who drink. I wasn't saying that my 'real' friends don't drink and whatnot...I was saying that they stood up for me when I needed support (which Amy did, and I thank her for it.) I mean, you're right...friends don't always agree...my best friend Lindsay and I have had many, many fights, some very scarring, but we move on and strengthen the friendship other ways. I think if we agreed all the time, we'd be pretty boring.

Kristine: "I know for a fact that you didn’t like our old RA assuming that you were drinking or that you were doing something wrong just being in the room. Yet you did the same thing and assumed that those guys were underage. I just find that contradicting what you have always said in the past."

Maybe I'm a bit of a hypocrite, but I won't admit to being a complete hypocrite. You must remember that our RA thought I was doing something wrong all the time, whether I was or not. I walked in and saw beer and saw them drinking. It's a bit different than our RA busting in and taking my Pepsi from me. And last year I wasn't an RA...this year I'm getting paid to be a rule enforcer. That sounds awful, I know, but this job is sending me to school, so I do whatever the contract I signed states I will do.

Anyway, I think I responded to everything that really jumped out at me. Now if anyone feels the need to comment, try not to come up with anything controversial because I am getting tired of this topic and want to write about pretty things like unicorns and daisy-filled meadows and little newborn kittens. Ok?

Ok! I love you! Buh bye!