Do not get me wrong. I love my major. My homework is reading... READING!!! I just get to snuggle up with a good book. Another perk? English majors do not have exams. Think about it, how would you write an exam to test someone's individual understanding of a piece of literature? Something else I love about my major? I do not have to spend a crazy amount of time in class because being an English major is all about learning how to think and forming your own opinions, so, I have very short classes followed by a large workload. This is cool because I can stay home in my footy pajamas. With all this being said there are a few everyday things that being an English major has "ruined" for me.
1. Texting
Texting is the one everyone likes to talk about when it comes to having good grammar. No one takes the time to punctuate a text so when someone does, it causes a ruckus. I'm not going to lie, I text using full punctuation. Commas and all. I mean, why wouldn't you? If you know how to use a language technique you should use it! However, more than anything, I add punctuation to my text messages subconsciously.
2. Going to the Movies
It is literally my job to criticize great works of literature like Shakespeare and Aristotle, so you better believe that if you take me to a movie, I am going to mentally take note of every plot hole and unrealistic event. This is your warning: if you take me to a movie, know that if you ask me what I thought, I'm going to tell you.
3. Watching Television
You can ask my roommate, I am the absolute worst to watch Netflix with. Fortunately for me, she very patiently listens as I reach over her to pause the show we are watching and explain to her why the storyline is unrealistic, or a costume draws attention away from where I believe the attention should be, or why a cheesy line totally ruins the integrity of the scene.
4. Music
I love music. To the chagrin of my loved ones, my headphones are always in my ears and I am often very unaware of my surroundings. Unfortunately, since I have been studying literature, I do not get as much enjoyment out of music as I used to. Many songs today have very grotesque innuendos and when I was younger I would just glaze right over those meanings, but now, I can not help but shiver at what the lyrics mean. It ends up ruining a lot of songs I once loved. Sometimes, I like the beat of a song enough to ignore the intentions of music, but more often than not, the lyrics ruin the song for me.
5. Conversations
I carry three notebooks (at least) with me at all times. One contains ideas for articles I want to write, one has notes for the various organizations I am a part of, and one is my personal journal. This interferes with me having conversations with people because one of the things I write down in my notebooks is interesting things people say to me. It creates a bit of a conversational lull when I dig through my backpack for a journal and ask the person I am talking to to repeat themselves.
