school daze

School has started once again and our neighborhood will once again see the remnants of it every afternoon. Trash is always left all over the place, and last year we got nice little surprises spray painted on our garage doors and on the trash bins. These boys are so clever, I'll give 'em that much. It takes a certain skill to spray paint naked ladies on the trash dumpsters and to cover up the word "no" in the 'no parking' signs on the front of the garage doors. Maybe instead of mechanics school they should be going to art school!

It won't be soon until we start to see the same guys sitting on the curbs outside of our house and throughout the neighborhood smoking, drinking pop and eating chips or standing around in huge groups, walking and standing in the middle of the street when you're trying to pass in order to get outta the neighborhood while they just stare at you daring for you to say a word - I've experienced this first hand while they stand there and laugh. They're such lovely little creatures! AND... what is it w/ these guys and not being able to throw away their trash? The dumpsters sit not 12 feet away from them - sometimes a foot away - but they are unable to toss their junk in the appropriate dumpster. They'd rather smoke up a storm until the bell sounds and then either skip class all together or wind up being late each morning. But hey, isn't that what highschool's about? I know w/ these guys, it's all about skipping and being punks.

There's something about this group of guys this year. They look different. Me and the hubby were on our way to work this morning and we both looked at each other at the same time and said "did you see that guy". This particular guy had a beard! And a lot of them look to be in their 20s. Shoot... maybe they are! Or maybe we've had some surprise hormones being added to the meat for the last few years?? Every year these guys look different and this year... they all look so old! Or maybe I'm just getting old.... hmmmm.... maybe that's it! ;)

Something else that really got me to thinking was the article in the GDN yesterday about the restrictions they're putting on the college kids at the UoB. Boy, I'm sure everybody's really excited about going to school this year! They're creating such a positive atmosphere for the students. Really makes you wanna jump up and click your heels together, doesn't it?

But hey, when you have the religious police putting their noses into everything, it doesn't surprise me that college kids will now no longer be allowed to wear what they want. And it sucks really. Can you imagine!!!??? Here you're going off to college - which should be a time for freedom, self awareness/a time to explore who you really are - but NO.... these ppl are making sure that you're being told what you can and can't wear. No longer can you sport the skirts above the knee, you can't wear t-shirts w/ anything on the front that *they* feel is inappropriate (and who are they to judge or decide what's appropriate!), girls can't wear tight shirts that emphasize their breasts (oh God, imagine!... and this one in particular makes me laugh cuz I sit and wonder WHO is going to be the one going around campus looking at the girl's boobs deciding who wearing the tightest and who should be sent home... hehhehe), and then girls won't be allowed to wear shayla's that bring attention to their eyes especially if they're wearing a lot of make-up (hmmm... ok, the girls do get a little carried away w/ the eye make-up here, but shouldn't that be their right to wear make-up or not wear make-up?!), and definitely no night dresses under abayas (so forget about getting outta bed and throwing an abaya on to go to school)... and then you have the guys. No strange hair color for the boys (gosh, we all liked purple, green and pink so much!), no long hair, no bermuda shorts or shorts period, no flip flop sandals (gosh, I would have died!!!!!), and no t-shirts w/ inappropriate slogans on the front.... so basically what we have here is a complete stifling of basic human rights and freedom!

This all brings up memories of when they made lingerie shops take down lingerie wearing mannequins from the shop windows because they said that young boys were standing around in the front of the stores getting turned on.... yeah, ok, right. I think the older guys imposing this stuff were the ones getting a wee bit turned on.... that's my personal opinion... but hey, I could be wrong... have been in the past.

I don't know... I know if I were in college and had to adhere to these types of new rules being imposed by the university, I might seriously consider transferring. Maybe the students are all for it, or maybe they've had some students who've taken the dress code way too far and that's why they've had to do this... I don't know, but it all seems really extreme to me. Making someone wear clothes a certain way just isn't right.

What will it be next? A new law saying that ppl on the street have to wear certain clothes? Gosh, what would the girls do that wear short shorts w/ their butt cheeks hanging out? I've seen it in Sa'ar and I've seen some pretty risque outfits on the streets.... so, I guess we should all watch out! Too bad for Bahrain and too bad for freedom of choice. But... was there ever freedom of choice? NO! So I'm not all too surprised!

aaaahhhhh... to back in college! NO thank you! :)