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Health & Fitness

"The Dakota Sarantos LP2"

The best advice since my last advice.

It's been just too long so here we go...

@Thoughts1000

Dear Man of 1,000 Thoughts,

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Why do people dress up for class? Sometimes I see girls in heels and dresses and I don’t understand it. - Anonymous


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Some people may not want to look like a slob in sweatpants in front of all of their peers. However, there are a variety of reasons people dress up for class! I can tell you that I generally dress up for class because I like to look how I like to look as much as possible. There are some people who, believe it or not, do take their education seriously and dress up as a sign of respect not for their peers or even their professors but for themselves. They want to be here, want to learn, and are paying to be here and want to make sure they’re prepared in every way possible even if it’s being well dressed and groomed. Now, by dressing up I don’t mean suits and ties.

Lets get real, class is nothing to be so serious about. I do like to go with some nice casual wear such as pants and a shirt, it’s very little effort but I look presentable and not like a child. Some people, like myself, don’t like the idea of showing up to class in athletic shorts and a t-shirt. This isn’t the gym, pal, get over yourself. It shouldn’t matter if you’re going to class or not, why would you want to look like crap? I applaud those who put effort into looking nice on a daily basis, even if it’s ‘just for class’, at least someone’s trying.

Someone once said to me that you should dress everyday like you’re going to meet your worst enemy, and though I don’t exactly know what it means, I thought it was pretty cool.


Dear Man of 1,000 Thoughts,


Why do b***es be trippin’? - Anonymous


Because they’re wearing heels to class! But in all seriousness, I’m pretty sure Professor Hines asked the same thing. it’s an age old question that’s been tackled by many and solved by none. If you took all the advice on this topic from the greatest writers and philosophers in history and compiled it into one volume, you’d have a giant pile of bullshit. Because that’s all anyone can do on this issue, bullshit. Antonio Banderas himself couldn’t write you a foolproof guide for men to women for the same reason a tag team of Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Lawrence couldn’t write one for women to men. It’s all relative, and their dealings with the opposite sex will not be similar to yours. They understand about as much as  you do, things just happen to them.

Seinfeld says women are nesters and men are hunters but what the hell does that mean? I’ve heard that men are reactors, and women are actors. None of this helps anyone. Do you think women know why they act the way they do and feel the way they feel? Of course not. It’s not because they’re women, it’s because they’re human. The same thing goes for men. Something that makes a person feel good today may not make them feel good tomorrow, and they’d have no idea why. I used to love brown sugar cinnamon poptarts. A couple years back I ate so many and now I absolutely hate them. The flavor that once made me tremble with desire now makes me cringe in disgust. Try to give me a poptart and I’ll smash it in your face.


So it’s more about who they’re dealing with that will explain why they are being the way they are. It’s because they’re dealing with you that they’re trippin’. Why though? Maybe it’s because you call them b***es. Maybe it’s because you like to rank them by numbers 1-10. If something they do isn’t aligned with how you want it to be then they’re trippin’. Maybe it’s the wrecking balls, I don’t know. Treating them like something to be won and with varying degrees of value as opposed to other humans you can connect and learn from could also be an issue. But of course, you’re generalizing and I’m generalizing. I do understand where you’re coming from. Things like, how does she not know that you asking for her number means you want to bang her? What other possible reason would you be asking for? There’s no specific answer I can give to this question, but I can tell you to try to change your perspective and maybe there will be less trippin’ in your sights. Overall, though, don’t worry about it.


Dear Man of 1,000 Thoughts,


Recently I’ve become the subject of a lesser known college phenomenon I have heard referred to as Prof-Block. Are you aware of this? If so, any advice? Please Help. - Anonymous


Lesser known, but growing. I’m all too aware of the increasingly disturbing occurrences of the Prof-Block making it’s way around White Street and the WCSU campus. For those of you who don’t know, the Prof-Block is an event similar to the c**k-block. However, instead of being performed by your average member of society or peer, it is a c**k-block performed by your professor. It’s important to note that the c**k-block performed by a professor outside of class is not considered a prof-block but is just a regular c**k-block. A c**k-block can only be considered a Prof-Block when it is performed by a Professor during actual class time. The kinds of Prof-Blocks can range from the simple to the complex.

The worst part about Prof-Blocks is that they usually are not even intentional. You may have a nice girl you’re sitting next to in class who you’re trying to get to know and the professor decides it’s time to split into groups, except for one thing...they’re assigned groups! You’ve been Prof-Blocked. I’d say this is an example of a simple Prof-Block because it’s temporary and there’s always tomorrow. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still debilitating and might ruin your day, but it’s not as bad as your alternative Prof-Block. I like to call this one “The Constant Lecturer”, similar to “The Constant Gardener” but different for reasons that you can probably gather.

With “The Constant Lecturer”, say there’s a girl you sit next to in class who you’re trying to get to know, and every time your conversation is about to pick up, class starts. Maybe in some classes this wouldn’t be a issue with things like class discussion and assignments, but you have a professor who likes the lecture a little too much. Maybe they just like the sound of their own voice. But they talk from minute one to the very last and you have no time to even slip in a word to poor Sally sitting next to you. This happens day after day every time you have that class and there’s no end in sight. This professor is babbling about God knows what like you give any amount of crap and you’re just trying to get one golden moment to make your move but it never comes. You’ve been Prof-Blocked.


There’s no easy way out. For some people this will be impossible. If you’re a bold and brash person you may be able to work your way out of this hole but it’s going to take a lot of patience, arrogance, and disrespect. If you have a Constant Lecturer problem then you’re going to have to push through it and talk anyway during the lecture. You may get some looks, even from the professor, but it’s the only chance you have. I’d just remember this oldie but goodie from Atticus Finch,

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”

Thanks.


Dear Man of 1,000 Thoughts,

What fuels your wrestler’s soul? - Anonymous

I hope it’s not what fuels everyone else’s, because then I won’t ever be very good at it. Bruce Lee said that for him, martial arts was honestly expressing himself. I didn’t understand what he meant until I started wrestling. As artists, people have different avenues to venture for their creative expression, there’s music, writing, painting and everything in between. Wrestling is the same, martial arts in general is the same. It’s an expression, every time I go to practice or compete and have to lock up with another person I’m creating something. I don’t know what it is that I’m creating every time, sometimes it’s just an ass-whooping, but I’m okay with that. It gives me energy, it makes me comfortable and it’s the reason I can stay content when other aspects of my life maybe aren’t going so well. Now, I also write, I’m a writing major and it gives me a certain satisfaction to communicate with only words. But they’re only words. My whole being, mind, body and spirit is pulsing when I do martial arts. I’m a man of a certain ethics and firmly believe my word is the only thing I have that no one can take from me, and so I place a high value on honesty. When I’m practicing or when I’m performing, that’s the only time I feel and the only time I can truly admit this is real and this is who I am...all of me.

I don’t know if that’s an adequate answer. Is that the only thing that fuels my wrestler’s soul? It’s definitely not the only thing. Maybe I have a competitive motivation like most people. Maybe I feel the genetic desire with all that Sarantos Greek ancestry, they invented the sport after all. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching wrestling on television and martial arts in movies. Maybe it’s because I’m just a mean man and like the idea of engaging in something that will cause someone else pain. But at the end of the day it’s a choice, this isn’t the only thing I can do but I choose to do it and the thought that this was my decision better be enough to be the best fuel.

Agree? Disagree? Want advice? Maybe just some chit chat? Tweet me @Thoughts1000


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