Two Hundredth Post

Two Hundred Amazing Things

For my two hundredth post, I've decided I'm going to
1. Write about one hundred amazing things I appreciate- monumental or not. Some of them may be geeky or silly, others are extremely monumental. Some may be related to each other, others may be out there.
2. Write 25 things about me, some of them you may know, some of them you may not
3. Write about 25 things I want to happen in the future (big or small)
4. Write about 25 things I've done this month
5. Write about 25 things I want to happen this month (or will make myself do)

I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, but let's get started.

100 Things I appreciate
1. I graduated from college
2. I got my college class ring/ will be receiving at the end of the month
3. I got a pillowtop mattress (OMG it's so amazing...)
4. I've almost reached 150k miles on my car
5. I'm starting to get my sleep closer to a regular schedule

6. Internet on a phone. Need I say more?
7. Foursquare Awards. I don't know why they feel great, but they do.
8. Klout. I haz it. It's amazing.
9. One of my high school teachers still keeps up with me.
10. I'll be seeing this high school teacher on Friday, and he's going to help me with job interview stuff

11. Walking across the stage...I'll be doing it again in December.
12. It was amazingly cool today. We got a break from the heat of summer!!
13. I've made some really awesome friends through blogging!
14. My brother is getting married
15. My sister is in high school

16. I've come so far with my blog & blogging
17. I've learnt so much about the internet in my ventures
18. I've lost a little weight
19. Waking up on the mornings I don't have headaches.
20. Winning at video games

21. Winning at Sudoku (how can you lose at Sudoku, anyway?)
22. Going home after a really, really long day
23. The feeling you get after I've done something that helps someone
24. A solid high-five
25. Being able to french braid my hair without looking in the mirror (seriously!)

26. Finding an old cassette tape my best friend gave me in middle school and remembering how Corky taped over part of it, and how mad I was at the time, and how I now have the whole mP3 file, and all the needless yelling I did at the time (memories made :) how sweet)
27. Remembering the one time that Texas had a White Christmas and record-breaking snowfall in February.
28. Finding something I had lost all hope on finding
29. Perfect length nails that won't break (thank you genetics!!)
30. Getting new colorful socks without asking for them

31. Saying something just before the radio or TV says it
32. The smell of freshly cleaned sheets
33. The perfect gift that I decided not to ask for because I didn't think I'd get it...and you got it anyway!
34. Realizing the cop going down the road isn't going after you (sometimes they make you paranoid...)
35. Eating cookie dough, brownie batter, or cake batter, even though the packages all say not to

36. Catching gas prices just before they go up
37. Swimming pools on a hot summer day (really, it's amazing)
38. Reading a book I love, even if I've already read it a million times
39. Snuggling under my blanket with my sock monkey
40. Going through some of my old things and remembering the events that went with them...nostalgia!

41. The scent of Vicks
42. Seeing an envelope for me in the mail...unless it's a credit card offer.
43. My medal board
44. Painting things, and writing things, and drawing things
45. My pillows, all of them, and the fact that they matched my comforter when I didn't plan that

46. Getting a lot of points on Words with Friends when I wasn't planning a word that would get a lot of points
47. Knowing something that I didn't think I knew
48. Laughing so hard that I can't even hear a sound
49. Going all the way through growing-small-town without hitting a red light (this almost never happens)
50. Singing very loudly in my car on the freeway, and having someone look at me like I'm nuts, which just inspires me to sing more loudly

51. Finally getting that huge knot out of my hair...granted, I probably ripped the hair out in the process...but it's a huge victory getting that knot out!! You have no idea!!
52. Finding my favorite TV shows just as they're coming on, or better yet, coming home and finding out my dad has them all on the DVR and turns them on during dinner for me.
53. Taking the perfect picture at the perfect time
54. Plugging in my phone or computer just before it dies
55. Reaching a landmark (post 100, post 200, blogoversary, 100 followers, etc.)

56. Finding that nice, empty, comfortable space in traffic, where I'm not being tailgated, and I don't have to tailgate the person in front of me to prevent being tailgated
57. Ordering food special so that I know it's fresh when the person serves it to me
58. Two words: Batteries included.
59. Riding my bike really fast down a steep hill (given that I don't have to ride my bike up the hill to get there, or back up the hill later...lol)
60. Roller coasters...especially when the lights come on at night! It's really awesome...And when the wind is blowing? Ahh. It was really great when my hair was long and I'd take it down on the coaster and the person behind me would get a face full of hair...I mean...oops. I would never do that. I'm too nice. *whistle*

61. The appearance of everything underwater...how everything is all distorted and funky looking
62. Making it out of somewhere just before all the crowds amass...I really don't like crowds, so knowing that I made it out before the crowds is really comforting.
63. That shocked face people make when they see how fast I can type, and then when they ask me how fast I type and I *honestly and sincerely* tell them I don't know...because I honestly and sincerely don't. But it's pretty fast.
64. Seeing someone drive by me really fast on the highway, telling them "go get those cops"....and seeing them pulled over 2 miles later.
65. A clean room (not that I've seen one in a while *sigh*)

66. Taking my hair down at the end of the day and just brushing it
67. Doing math with the numbers in the time...like 12:36 (12 x 3 = 36....I overthink things, I know)
68. Knowing where everything is when I go somewhere, while other people are searching and looking lost...so I can get in and out, while others are still looking for someone to help them....
69. Putting a spam account on certain things where I know I'll be getting spam emails and never checking the spam account because I know I don't want to check the spam...
70. Seeing someone I haven't seen in a long time unexpectedly and catching up with them

71. Learning a new keyboard shortcut (it seems I learn new ones almost every day, but I can never remember them on command, just when I need them)
72. Holding and playing with my baby cousin...she's so cute!! I love babies, I just don't think I'm prepared for one of my own....or ever will be.
73. Being the weird one that keeps my food separate- I may be different, but it makes for...if not interesting, at least *some* dinner conversation.
74. When the dog comes and visits me in my room, which he hardly ever does (which is what makes it so special)
75. Having the whole morning to stretch and wake up, and not having to worry about being somewhere at a certain time (although having something to do with my life would be nice)

76. Having a meaning to life, rather than just waking up every day to the monotony that is after-college jobless without-a-license whatever I'm in right now (I once had it...so I can add it to this list)
77. I found the license plate that was pressed right after mine- identical except it ends in 072, mine ends in 071. Yesssss I paid attention enough to notice that...I'm weird like that.
78. Perfectly. Parallel. Parking. So perfect that I took pictures. My dad claims I photoshopped them, but I didn't, I actually did the perfect parallel park, and I've never done it before. Ever. I take that back, I tried once, but it was an epic fail, making this much more of an EPIC WIN.
79. Being late, but realizing I'm actually the first one there, so nobody will know that I'm late anyway, bahaha
80. Taking shoes off without untying them. Who unties their shoes anymore? Didn't think so...

81. Other accents than my own. Admittedly, my own accent sucks. Australian accents are my favorite.
82. Blog hops...wait, let me finish...that are communicative, and on blogs that actually type something up other than giveaways or coupons. I mean, I really dislike the necessary follow on a blog that only does giveaways and coupons, and the giveaways are on stuff I don't need (Diapers? Childrens clothing? No thank you). I still participate in hopes of finding other blogs I do like, because there are some out there that also participate in these hops. I visit the linkys, and I leave more than a "HI, I'm Ashley, visit my website and follow back!"...ok, I must move on.
83. Good comments. They make me melt. I've had some make me cry in public. One at the dentist.
84. Sock monkey. I love my sock monkey.
85. My little sister. I love my little sister so much, and I don't think she realizes how much. I don't think she ever will, no matter how much I say it.

86. Being able to breathe through my nose (it's really amazing when I haven't been able to breathe through my nose for a while)
87. Typing by lamplight (it's much more epic than typing by regular light)
88. Boxes. I don't know what it is about boxes, but I love boxes.
89. Putting stickers on things. I love putting stickers on things, and tape too. Duct tape especially, it's my favorite.
90. Making things of your own...being creative. Artsy. I'm not real artsy, but I love creating my own things.

91. QT drinks. One who has not been to QT can not understand the epic greatness of QT and their fountain drinks, especially when you mix and create your own great flavors like I have (blue raspberry vanilla Diet Pepsi anyone? It sounds disgusting, but it actually tastes great)
92. Mousse. It's so puffy and fluffy and doesn't make my hair sticky and gross like hairspray, and doesn't make it as stiff as gel does.
93. Being almost done with something
94. Having more than one idea in the same night
95. Figuring something out that I haven't been able to figure out for a while

96. Planning posts
97. Having a ton of tabs open and being able to keep track of all of them & knowing that I'm using them all (none of them are going to waste!)
98. Having the nerve to call people out on something when they need to be called out on, and being able to do it without being nervous or upset
99. Knowing that even though I had a lot of obstacles, I was able to accomplish more than I ever thought I would accomplish because I persevered, even when I was told I would fail, even when I went through some really rough times and had everything standing against me.
100. Having my whole future ahead of me, and not knowing what it holds, because it could hold anything for me, which means it could be something great

25 Things About Me
1. I'm a freak of nature- I was born without tonsils. Then again, I'm thankful, because I never have to have a tonsillectomy. =)
2. Everyone else believes in me more than I do. A rock believes in me more than I do. That's how much I believe in myself. Nevertheless, I carry on as though I believe in myself.
3. I actually liked my job at Big Circle Box Retailer. I didn't love it, but I liked it enough that I would go back if given the opportunity and I had nowhere else to go. I've applied to go back.
4. I don't really like lollipops or hard candy that much, except blueberry dum-dum pops.
5. I've never been kissed...willingly. Unwillingly, yes; willingly, no.

6. I hate seafood, but I love Red Lobster.
7. I sleep with my sock monkey every night. It's probably the only thing I'll ever sleep with.
8. I have an obsession with the color blue.
9. I didn't really want to go to UTA. I wanted to go to Baylor. I was accepted at Baylor. I had a scholarship at Baylor, but I still couldn't afford it. UTA was my second choice. I only went there because we didn't have the money for me to move out.
10. I liked Killeen, until we moved away. When I went back, I didn't like it. I still don't like where I live now. This leaves me with inner conflict because I don't know where I like.

11. It's medication that made me gain all my weight.
12. I do guest blogs but I don't post them on my blog.
13. I like that I can still wear children's sized shoes, because they're much cheaper usually
14. I have a board full of medals that I will one day share- here's an idea of what's on there-

• Class of 2005 Salutatorian
• 2005 UIL State Social Studies Team Champions
• 2005 UIL Regional Spelling Team Runners-Up
• 2005 UIL Regional Spelling Individual 5th Place
• 2005 UIL Regional Social Studies Team Champions
• 2005 UIL District Social Studies Team Champions
• 2005 UIL District Spelling Team Champions
• 2005 UIL District Spelling Individual 3rd Place
• 2005 UIL Choir Solo/Ensemble Division I Solo- District
• 2005 UIL Choir Solo/Ensemble Division II Solo- State
• 2004 North Texas Colorguard Association State Champions Division AA
• Academic Medals awarded by teacher for AP Calculus, Pre-AP Spanish II, Pre-AP World History, AP Chemistry
• Texas Scholar- i.e. I graduated. Seems dim after the others....

15. 2005 was a really good year for me (see statement 14) and I spent most of the months of April and May away from home, which was refreshing. 

16. I love Chicken Soup for the Soul books. I don't know why. I even love the stories in the ones not relevant to me. For example, Chicken Soup for the Working Mother. Completely not for me, but I'd probably love it. 

17. I have a strange fascination with numbers and facts, and often get called names for it...such as Wikipedia or Webster. 

18. I literally stapled my finger today. Stapled the staple directly into my finger. Not thinking, pulled it directly out. I hope nothing is wrong.

19. I duct taped a box purple tonight. No lie. Purple from top to bottom. Using my time wisely. 

20. I talked to someone about getting a job at a place I discovered was hiring. They told me I was overqualified and needed to find something that more suited my needs and degree. >.>

21. I was in colorguard for 2 years, co-captain for 1 year, yet I can't even spin a rifle now. I can do drop spins with a flag, and that's about it.

22. I'm addicted to Cherry 7Up, and I don't know why. At least it's caffeine free, so I can drink it at night too.

23. I don't get along very well with my parents. 

24. I'm not registered to vote. In a county like mine, if I'm not gonna vote Republican, there's no point in registering. I can shout any other party until the cows come home, but the GOP will still win in this city/county/etc. My voice means nothing here. So why register? To spend my time at the voting booths casting a vote that will be one of the few non-Republican? I'm not a Dem, but I'm not a GOP either. Face it, there's no point in an area that's so strongly GOP. 

25. I love denim. Denim jackets, denim skirts (this may be the one way to get me to wear a skirt), denim tops, denim vests, denim shorts, denim pants, I love denim.

25 Things I want to happen in the future

1. I want to get my license (of course!)

2. I want someone to love me for who I am

3. I want someone to finally believe that this is not something that I created myself, that what I'm saying is real.

4. I want my expenses taken care of

5. I want to live comfortably- but not necessarily in luxury

6. I want to see my sister get married

7. I want my sister to go to college and be successful in a career

8. I want to get my own place, somewhere near the city, but not in the city

9. I want the stuff that's been plaguing my life and negatively impacting me to go away (if you know me, you know what I mean by this)

10. I want to be self-sufficient

11. I want people to care about what I have to say

12. I want to see my brother be successful in a career/graduate from college

13. I want to narrow my stuff down to the things I really need, instead of everything I think I'm emotionally attached to

14. I want to go to graduate school

15. I want to find a way to set up or participate in the kind of business that I've been thinking about, with the hours and whatnot, because I know what life can be like for certain populations, and there are certain things I want to address

16. I want to visit Australia

17. I want to meet all my bloggy and Twitter friends, and explore more of the world

18. I want to do a lot of things, without worrying what my parents might think (including writing stuff like this)

19. I want to learn German and become fluent in the language.

20. I want to make an entire blog of awesome and inspiring quotes that are compiled from other places

21. I want to wake up in the morning and look forward to the day, rather than dreading it

22. I want to have a purpose

23. I want to have a social life, outside of the computer, and yes, I know that requires going out---and

24. I want to feel more comfortable going out, but most importantly:

25. I want to help as many people as I can to reach their full potential, because I know there is plenty opportunity out there, I just have to find it.

25 Things I've Done This Month

I had to challenge myself with this one....

1. I moved all the stuff out of my room so that the floor guys could recarpet

2. I moved all the stuff back into my room after the carpet was installed

3. I visited with my brother some on a few of his lunch breaks from work, when he came to the house to eat

4. I finished my undergraduate degree

5. I aced my final paper and my psychology final

6. I wrapped up all my appointments at the university and settled all my debts

7. I picked up medications at the pharmacy

8. I taped a shoebox purple

9. I stapled a finger

10. I went to a high school football game--the home team...EPIC FAIL

11. I had a shelf fall on my arm and I had a bruise for a bit

12. I had my blogoversary and wrote a blog/came up with a blog hop in celebration of my blogoversary

13. I went swimming

14. I talked on twitter....a lot

15. I created my facebook page and acquired a lot of fans

16. I participated in a 30 day challenge

17. I slept in...a lot. 

18. I stayed in bed a few days when feeling under the weather, because when I stood up or sat up, I felt dizzy.

19. I found my salutatorian speech from high school...and thought about posting it here...but decided against it.

20. I rearranged my room

21. I visited with a former teacher of mine, who also happens to be my sister's current teacher...poor Corky

22. I traumatized the dog by calling him onto my bed knowing that it was higher than the old one...

23. I faceplanted in the parking lot on one of my last few days of class

24. I bought headphones, after waiting a few months to get some

25. I decided to be proactive about losing weight, and I've lost a lot.

25 Things Which I Want to Happen This Month

1. I want to get a job, whether it requires a license or not

2. I want my ring to arrive in the mail

3. I want my mom to have a happy birthday

4. I want my blog hop to go over well

5. I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job

6. I want to finish a few books

7. I want to finish clearing the "stuff" that is left from moving everything out to the garage for the carpet guys

8. I want to continue growing as a blogger

9. I want this sinus crap to go away

10. I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job

11. I want my meeting with Dr. B to go well on Friday

12. I want to lose a little more weight...a little at a time

13. I want to apply for graduate school, to see what else it is I need to do to get in

14. If I don't get a job, I want to volunteer at the Mental Health Association again

15 I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job

16. I want to find a doctor that will work with me

17. I want to find a way to fill my calendar...it's kind of blank right now.

18. I want Texas to get some rain somehow...it's way too dry. I also want the fires to go away...related, so it goes under this category.

19. I want to adjust my sleeping schedule so that it's more normal

20. I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job I want a job

21. I want to write about RUOK Day in Australia (in fact, I plan to, later this week)

22. I want to listen to a lot of music....and find some new songs. I've been having trouble getting Adele's "Someone Like You" and it's frustrating me. Argh. 

23. I want to limit my spending...significantly. I don't really want to be spending at all, I have no reason to spend. 

24. I want to be open and honest

25. Most of all.....I WANT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!

And if you got this far, I commend you, because a lot of people will stop reading about halfway through, I bet. I doubt anyone will make it this far. *whistle*. If you do, let me know in my comments down there ↓↓ where it usually is! 

I've made it to 200 posts....holy cow. 

A Little Bit of Stubborn

Today, I had the opportunity to be one of the carriers of things to my sister at the high school for her marching band practice (yay for marching band!). Lucky little chick. I discovered when I got there I was not the only one- my dad was sitting directly behind me in the car park- with her dinner. I had her water. Spoiled rotten chick!! I love her the same. Where was my older sister? Oh yeah, I didn't have one...oh well, I can drive myself places now, so *check* I'm good.

Tonight is the first home football game for the Fighting Owls. You can bet I'll be there- to chat with old teachers and friends that may haphazardly show up, seeing as it's six years after graduation- I know of one teacher that will be there, proudly, but most of the people who went there have moved on to better endeavors. He still teaches there, and has a daughter there *and a lot of school pride, and shows up at every game, regardless of whether his daughter or any other relative is in the show*

It'll be nice the next few days, because we'll finally see a break in the 100+ degree temperatures...can I get a woot woot? Monday's high is forecast at 89...cold front!!! Break out the winter coats everyone!!! (Just kidding on that front...pun intended)

On that note...since when does the new month define a change in season? I was always taught that the autumnal equinox meant autumn, so the whole "September means it's fall" thing is news to me. Especially since it's still over 100 degrees for a portion of September, and over 90 degrees for another good portion. Then the winter solstice is supposed to be the beginning of winter, correct?

I know that people define "winter" by the beginning of the holiday season, which falls very close to the end of November because it tends to fall just before my birthday, sometimes on my birthday *cringe BlackFriday cringe* and then comes December, often snow. Perhaps I'm a bit old-fashioned and dead set in my ways, but this is how I define seasons- Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumnal Solstice, Winter Equinox. Not just months picked and chosen by their relative hot/coldness.

This is the way I will stick to, the way I was taught, although trends may state otherwise. People may tell me happy spring and I'll say "tell me that when it's really spring" because I'm not that trend follower. I may follow other trends, but not this one. As such, school returns in summer, but that's ok. School has always returned in the summer, in my mind- you know, with band camp and such- but even when there wasn't band camp. Winter break always starts in the autumn. I hate the way people define this stuff, society is so single and simple minded, making things easier for those who can't think about complex things- what's so complex about the winter solstice being on December 21?

Thank you, facebook, for inspiring a little bit of bitterness in me, but that's ok, because I'll get over it. I know that I have my ways, and I'll always have my ways, and that people will always define things a little bit differently than I do. They always have. I'm a little bit stubborn. I have people that can and will vouch for that. Stubbornness can be a good quality, when applied appropriately....or neutral, not a bother. In this case, I don't think it really matters when I define the beginning of a season, as long as I'm not a hard ass about it, which I'm not. I don't push and shove people into my will. I just nonchalantly tell people what I believe and leave it at that.

Is there anything you're stubborn about? Is there anything you believe others define differently than you do? And what kind of plans do you have for the upcoming season (whether it's spring or autumn)?

Wordless Wednesday- Dry, Dry Texas

Another not-so-wordless Wednesday, but there are fewer words. More pics.

I know I've been talking a lot this summer about heat & the lack of rain- our water is at an all time low. I'll let the pictures do some talking.

The trees may look green....

But look at the color of the grass

You can see the level where the lake used to be, and where it is now, from the lack of water

More evidence of low lake levels (fountain to the side, couldn't be avoided)

It's like that all the way around; this is not quite a small lake

A picture of the fountain from the pier- just for kicks and giggles

Texas needs some water. Of course, at this time, it will take a lot to build up reservoirs and whatnot, and the amount would probably cause flash flooding. Right now we're having fires. The cool off would be nice too, we'll be in the 90s next week hopefully. Let's hope some hurricanes fling rain our way. I quoted on Twitter, from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram online, "It's pretty bad when people are praying for a hurricane." (See the article here).

Off for a surprise visit to the dentist. Huzzah!! (or...yikes...actually...)

Things I know: Break it down

Time for Things I know!!!

I know a lot of things this week!! Most of them are...well, from the past day or two. The most eventful two days of the past couple weeks since I finished school. Pitiful, I know.

Things have been broken down this week.

We broke everything in my room down, and we took it out to the garage, so that we could get the carpet in.

• I know that it's not easy moving a lot of crap at once
• I know that it's not easy to decide what you want to keep and what you don't want to keep
• I know that I don't like to wake up in the morning to 2 guys on the front porch while I'm still in my pajamas, and find out that they're here to install carpet...uh, you were supposed to call my dad and let him know the carpet came in. Thanks for the warning!
• I know that I love my new carpet. 
• I know that I don't want my dad to paint my walls any other color than blue.

You could say my car broke down in Arlington today- or you could just say it "wouldn't start" because the battery decided to go dead after I ran my errands at the university and whatnot. 

• I now know that people in Arlington will ignore you when you have your hood up on your car
• I know that people in Arlington will even deny you help if you ask for a jump when you know that your battery is dead on your car and all you need is a jump
• I know that it sucks sitting and watching people drive by while waiting for someone to agree to jump your car when it's 110F outside (that's 43C...and taken in the shade, not including heat index, yo)
• I know that I don't want to depend on the battery in my car right now because of today's incidents
• I know that I now have all my things in order for graduation, and not to depend on anyone for anything in Arlington!!!
• I know that it's still not going to get much cooler in Texas for a while--see picture below

And the forecast usually gets hotter as the day gets closer. No comfort in that 103 or 101. 

And that is what I know....this week. Oh, and did I mention I love my new carpet? Ahhh....

Oh, and one more thing I know!! And this shocked me!! A pair of jeans that I couldn't wear last month...now fits me! I wore them all day today, looked at them at dinner, and noticed that my everyday fit-me jeans stain wasn't there. I was like...wait, what jeans am I wearing?? OH MY these jeans didn't fit me before I NEED A PICTURE!!!!

So I took a picture. And put it online. Of course!

I know tomorrow, I will be going to get my ring size, so I can order my university class ring. Yay!! Really? *faint*

OK, I think that's it. 

Huzzah!

Day 24: Small Town, Texas

Day 24: Where you live- Tell us or show us about where you live

Well, I live in Small Town, Texas, USA (because I really don't want to say which small town, more specifically than "near Fort Worth". From here on, Small Town will be ST. Just so I don't have to type it repeatedly.

Most STs in Texas are very similar. Future Farmers of America? Yeeee Haaaawwww!!! I shake my head...and walk away. I'm not the rodeo type. There is a *small* nugget of truth to the stereotype, I will admit. I do hate, though, that people generalize that every person living in ST, Texas is the stereotypical cowboy/cowgirl. Sorry to disappoint.

For example, I sort of live in between ST, Texas, and suburbia, which is nestled tightly on the edge of Fort Worth. My ZIP code lies in suburbia, my school is in ST. It's not the smallest of towns- I graduated in a mediocre sized class of just over 200 students, but it's the only high school in town. There is a grocery store, but only one. The only other place to buy stuff other than food is the filling station markets or the Dollar General. They have built a hotel since I graduated. They also have a few used car lots, a one room post office, and a bajillion gas stations. Oh, and a high school, a middle school, a 9th grade center, and a few elementary schools. They just changed the system (again)- it used to be a few elementary, an intermediate, a middle, and a high school, then a few elementary, a middle, and a high, and they just can't make up their minds!!

Suburbia is...well, suburbia! They have all the major shopping chains, and they all start within 2 miles the other direction of my house. They also have all the major restaurant chains, all the major chains of...well everything. A couple high schools in that town, several middle schools, and goodness knows how many elementary schools they have. A famous person graduated from there, not too long before we moved here. They have a hospital within a mile of my house (I can run to the emergency room...literally run!!). Quite a few people, and the roads aren't wide enough to quite accommodate the traffic yet.

Suburbia sort of runs into Fort Worth- it's a bit difficult to tell where one merges into the other (they're that close). So I can drive less than 15 minutes and be in the heart of Fort Worth, if I really want to. That is, if I really want to. The traffic on I-35W, the main interstate running north and south through the city, is typically not easy to drive, even during hours not considered rush hour. The only hours during which it's even halfway navigable is between 11pm and 4am....and I don't really want to be driving then anyway. However, if I want access to anything in a big city, Fort Worth is right there, and I can get downtown in a reasonable amount of time without excessive travel.

As far as my house, it's a cozy (not-so-little) 4 bedroom house. Since my brother used to live here with my sister and parents and I, it was the perfect number of rooms, but now we have a spare room for guests and whatnot. We have 3 baths- 1 between my room and the extra room, my sister has her own, and the master bath. There is a family and a formal living room, a family and a formal dining room, and multiple hallways leading here and there. We all have walk-in closets, and we also have a walk in pantry, almost big enough to be a room in its own right, lol. We also have a 3 car garage. I love our house. We have a front yard the size of....well, our front yard isn't much, because our lot is like a slice of pie (we live on a cul-de-sac). The back yard, though, is huuuuuuuge. I think I recall my dad saying we have one of the biggest lots in the front area of our neighborhood. We could probably fit a house back there. With our shed. We used to have a trampoline and a pool back there, but the trampoline got old and weak in the Texas sun, and the pool just....didn't go up one summer. We didn't use it after that.

So now, you know about where I live...

Huzzah!!!

Day 23: Empty Room Vlog

Day 23: Something you love to watch on youtube (or better yet a youtube video of yourself)

Maybe-a-bag-over-my-head-would-have-been-better-vlog.

Phase just-before-they-put-the-new-carpet-in. I look like a complete fool, I sound awful, and I need to shed some pounds. By the way, I don't have a Texan accent. I have lived in Texas for 17 years, almost 18, did you know that? I'm 23, almost 24. Amazing, isn't it? (I actually have no idea what accent I have, aside from American, really. Plain? Boring? Yeah, really.)

I'm typing this while I'm waiting for the video to upload from my Evo, which has a much better video quality than my webcam ever will.

I apologize for my amateur video skills, but my video ended up sideways, and I had to edit it to make it vertical. So it looks strange, but here it is. Voila!



It's amazing, I really don't say much in my vlogs, but they tend to have really good traffic. I guess people like to laugh at the way I talk? =/ OK it's a little embarrassing, after watching myself talk, and I hate it, but it's the way I talk! *sigh*

My sister has one of my favorite high school teachers. He asked her on the first day of school how I was doing, even though he didn't talk really to any of the other students, and didn't ask how she was. I love him. He's awesome. She was a little embarrassed I think. She came home and told us about it over dinner yesterday though, and laughed, so it must not have been too bad.

It's weird to watch everyone go back to school, while I'm not. It's my first semester to not go back to school. I've been busy with my room, and I need to find out what the next step to licensure is. Apparently, Google Chrome doesn't think licensure is a word, but it is. The video is only half loaded. Wow. Either I type fast or the video is downloading slowly. It could be both.

It's still heatwaving here in Texas. Like over 100 degrees Fahrenheit every day since the beginning of June or so. It's almost September. WTF Mother Nature, don't you love us? We're now #2 for the number of days above 100 degrees in a single summer, and #2 for consecutive days- would have been #1 had it not been for a single day where we got a few clouds, and only reached 97. Mother Nature teased us. Tortured us, with the thought that we'd get a nice day....WRONG. Then she laughed and gave us more hundred degree days. We're second in both categories to the year 1980. I wasn't born yet. *faint*

Pulling up the carpet has kicked up so much dust that it's bothering my eyes and making me sneeze. At least I didn't sneeze during my vlog. I would have re-recorded it though. That's how I roll. It took 3 times to get it to where I didn't have as much of a double chin. I still have one, but I guess if I have one, I have one. Blah.

I love talking to people on twitter. I'm learning so many new things. I must have a macaron. Does someone have a good recipe? Send it to me at perpetuallyashley (at) gmail (dot) com. See how I avoid spammers?

Anyone who has made it this far, hats off to ya. That means you actually read the content of a blog. Some people don't, and they are starting to wear me thin. You know, the ones that leave drive-by comments "Found you on XYZ hop, would love it if you visited my blog at [blogname]" and possibly follow you but never return? I feel cheated. If they do come back, I feel comforted, but the ones that just follow because that's what the rules say, I don't like that.

88%. Almost there. If you want to check them out, I have 2 other vlogs. They are quite a while back in my archive, but they are pretty popular too, so you may be able to find them at the bottom of my page, below all the blog hop buttons. Genius me, I forgot the screen is supposed to go across, not up and down. Murphy's Law! I have to enter that after publishing as a tag if I do, because it has an apostrophe in it. Gotta love Blogger.....

Huzzah!!

Wordless Wednesday

Is never completely wordless...

On TV, sock monkey can drive. I made my dad rewind the DVR so I could take pictures of sock monkey driving. Surfing too.

This is not from TV, or sock monkey's car, this is a reading from a vehicle in Texas. A sign that we need winter (or something other than summer)...for those reading Celsius, that's 49.4C. No joke.

Day before my final final (which I rocked- 95%!! I got an A in psychology...HUZZAH!)...Above my shoulder, the shelf that recently attacked me.

Picture from yesteryear. Graduation 2005 (High school)

Inspiration

Beautiful Butterfly I have hanging on my wall. Originally an ornament, but bigger than my mini-tree.

This is how I got through to where I am today. Perseverance...and there certainly is a lot of glory in overcoming great obstacles. You better believe it.

Random Whatnot

Allergies. They are so killer. I want to saw my nose off and gouge my eyes out. I can't breathe through my nose. My eyes are watering, and they itch horribly. My head hurts. I'm cold. My nose is runny. Yet I still can't breathe through it. WTF?

And it makes it a bad idea to even try to wear makeup. I had a presentation tonight. I decided to look up what kind of mascara might be ok to wear if one has eye allergies. Even clear mascara didn't help (and it even said opthamologist approved), so I'm guessing I just can't wear eye makeup. Suckage! The presentation may have gone well. There were no questions. We got applause. They seemed to like our idea. I kept stumbling over my words though. I was really nervous, as I always am in front of people. Not to mention the allergy thing. I'll find out my score next week.

We're stacking up 100+ degree days. Every day in the 10 days is supposed to have a high above 105F (40C), and we're already over a month straight. We're on track to break the record, which was set in 1980. That's 31 years ago. Before I was even born. Yipee.

I have Klout now. Yay! Apparently, I'm influential about bp (I'm thinking the video I posted about the bp oil spill quite a while back was sent around a lot and maybe that's why? If it was bipolar, it would probably write out the whole word, but that's just a guess). I'm also influential about phobias, blogging, blogs, Texas, moms, apple (I don't even own anything apple anymore), iphones (never had one), writing, and email. Some of those sound kind of...uh, thrown in there. But hey, my score has gone up, so I won't complain! I just don't understand all the features that go into it all quite yet....

I'm down in the single digits counting the days to the end. I finished my presentation tonight. I'm done with all my social work projects, which means now it just comes down to grading. I'll find that out next week, and I'll have that all done and over with. For psychology, I have a case study, one more quiz, and a final exam. I have wrap up appointments, and I have to finish getting professional references so I can sit to take the licensing exam. Then, in a few weeks, I can pick up my degree. I also have this overwhelming urge to go ahead and pick up an alumni sticker, but I don't want to do that quite yet....because I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch. You know.

My brain isn't functioning in a full train of thought. Anxiety and all. My thoughts are scattered. My next few posts may be kind of like this, because I can't quite put it all together. I'm so nervous! This is it! The end of it all! I've been in school since I was 4....I know nothing else! Almost 20 years of school! What to do now? I have no idea. Deer in the headlights.

My brother's fiance wants to go pick out bridesmaid dresses on the one day I can't go, during my class. I want to go, but I can't! It's so frustrating, because I can't be there. At least I know I'll be dressed in blue...I want them to take pictures and send them to me, at least. That would be cool.

See how scattered my thinking is? I hope this doesn't carry over into my last paper and my final exam. Oi! Dios mio!! That would be horrible! I need to gather my thoughts.

Deuces, for now

Words of Wisduh- July 2011

If any of you have ever been conscious during the summer, you know it sometimes gets hot.

If any of you have ever been conscious during the summer and live in Texas, you know it gets ridiculously hot, most of the time. As you can see in the picture, today is the 20th, and we've only been below 100 twice this month- the first and second. June hovered near or above the triple digits most of the month. It's not the hottest weather we've seen, but it's pretty damn hot (and sunny) (also, if you look, there is not a drop of precipitation this month. We've gotten a mere 1.5 inch in the past 2 months. DRY)

We're almost melting. Credit

Now, for those of you who have to experience the Texas heat (and pretty much any heat like this, like in most of the central states right now), there are some basic rules you should live by, some that I am calling the words of wisduh. I mean, you should know them, but some people still don't get it.

• If it's in a car, it will be hot after 5 minutes. Yes, just 5 minutes. Even if you put it in the shade (for example, under a seat). It's in the sun, and the car is like an oven. It cooks whatever's inside, whether it's in the shade or not
• Referring back to number one, never touch a seatbelt buckle, or, for that matter, the seatbelt, steering wheel, door handle, or any part of a car until you have had a functional (not broken) air con on for at least a few minutes. You will burn yourself.
• If you don't want a sunburn, if you are unusually pale, if you want to avoid skin cancer, and if you want to look young for a while, wear sunscreen. If you tan quickly, if you don't care about sunburns, or if you don't mind your skin aging quickly, by all means, don't wear sunscreen. It's your body.
• Drink water. Drink water or pass out. Then someone will make you drink water (or put you on an IV and not let you drink water when you are thirsty). Best option? Drink water.
• Don't complain about the heat. We all know it's hot. If you mention it, fine. If you're incessantly whining about it, we all want to shoot steaming death rays at you, making it 10x hotter. Then you will have something to whine about. The weather channel is telling us, other people are telling us, our phones are telling us, and we can feel it.
• Pavement is hot. You will get blisters walking on hot pavement without shoes. If you choose to walk on hot pavement without shoes, do not complain to me, because I warned you.
• If you wear long sleeve tees or pants, you will sweat. You will smell disgusting. You will feel hotter. I wear shorts in the summer, sometimes, even though I know that I don't look all that great in them. I don't have the body for it. I wear sleeveless tops. People don't care because it's too hot to care.
• Don't leave your cell phone in your car (or anything valuable, like kids) because they will overheat. However, if your cell phone does overheat but still works, placing it in front of the air con as soon as you turn it on will help to bring the temperature down more quickly. I wouldn't recommend doing this, though. And definitely don't leave anything living in the car. I think that's illegal in most localities. Especially ones where it's hot.
• Don't drive a black car. In fact, don't climb inside anything black, and don't wear black. Black absorbs the heat, white reflects it. It's in the chemistry of the colours. If you climb in a black car, expect to be scalded by everything inside. Thankfully, mine is silver. My sister acquired my brother's old black Mustang. I'm sorry, Courtney.

Ways to beat the heat:

• Go swimming- You're in the water and you don't notice the heat as much. Take note- if you are prone to sunburn and don't want one, stay lathered, because you won't notice if you're getting one, seeing as you won't notice the heat
• Don't go outside and exercise a lot (use indoor facilities)- they may be more expensive, but you can have heat stroke and whatnot much quicker if you're outside, and it's just much more difficult to get much of a workout, unless you like the feeling of dizziness.
• Sit in front of a fan, or in a room with air con- this is my favourite. You can be lazy & cool at the same time. My fave claim is that I am studying (which I often I am, so it's not a lie). Right now, the study of choice is abnormal psych, we are studying somatoform disorders and dissociative disorders, we just finished anxiety disorders today. We're probably having a pop quiz tomorrow, since she told us to make sure we're studying.
• Go out to a place that has air con- like a mall, library, or somewhere where people gather in your town. If you're daring, go to Six Flags or some other theme park, and continuously ride water rides to stay cool, so you're out and about, and still keeping cool.
• Enroll in a summer program at a school. If you're in college, take a summer class. They do have some "fun" summer classes. Not all of them are upper level boring classes. I'm taking mine to graduate, but there are some others that are just for fun, and there are programs for children at the university and community college too.
• If you DO go somewhere outside, carry around those little fans that shoot water, water bottles, drinks, and anything else that will help to keep you hydrated, cool, and comfortable. If you want to avoid sunburn, wear a hat and appropriate clothing and/or sunscreen.

If you want to be brave like me, wear a tank top, shorts, no sunscreen, and flip flops, and walk around all day outside. I just know I'll end up with skin cancer one day.....BUT I keep water with me (or some other light drink, like green tea, or lemonade), and I frequently take a water ride at Six Flags, or a dip in the pool; I keep myself cool. I also know there are risks with medication, so I keep myself aware of how I'm feeling and whatnot. If I need to sit, I sit. If I need air con, I find the nearest building where I can bathe in the cool air. If I need more water, I drink more water. I keep anything I want to keep cool with me, because I know it'll fry in my car.

They show (almost every year) a segment where they fry something on the dashboard of a car, or on a sidewalk, to dramatize how hot it gets outside. It's pretty awesome, but it doesn't keep people from doing stupid stuff. People still keep stuff (or kids) in their car. I left my phone in there the other day (but was able to quickly cool it off with the air con, thank goodness). People still grab seatbelt buckles and exclaim "ow!" as if it was something new. People get surprised at sunburns when they've been in the sun all day (I was going for the sunbathed look, so I'm not shocked). My sister complained about the blisters on the bottom of her feet from walking on the hot ground barefoot...and was just a few days later running around outside barefoot again. WTF child?!?! (she will probably read this and not comment or comment anonymously).

It's summer people. It's hot. Things outside get hot. That's what happens. It's nothing new. It happened last year, and the year before that. People act like it's something new and startling, and that's what gets me...I'll probably have to repeat the same thing next year. Because I'll see the same people doing the same thing.

Thank goodness for light colours, flip flops, shorts, water, fans, air con, swimming pools, shoes, shade, and the fact that summer doesn't last all year, just most of it!

Deuces

Needs Improvement

EDIT: I said I would have a book review in this post. It WILL be in a post soon, I swear. I completely forgot until after this was posted, and now I don't have time to write it because now I have to get back to my paper.

If I were to write a progress report for July so far, I would write a failing grade. U for unsatisfactory. F for failing. GTFO. Needs much, much improvement. Who approved this?

The search I did for stuff for my assignment? I can't use what I found. I had to delete it all. There would have been repercussions if I hadn't. Now I'm out of state and can't access it. The most I can say is that it really sucks, and that I don't have any way to explain it to my professor other than "oops, I screwed up, and now I have nothing to show for it." Now we're in Missouri, and I have no access to the intranet at my agency. I have no way to *successfully* complete this assignment when I'm out of state and have no access to this empirical data. Fail.

Less than 12 hours after we leave, we get a call from our neighbor that there is water streaming out our garage down the driveway. We ask him to shut our water off, and my brother's girlfriend to drop by and tell us what's going on within. Come to find out, half the house is damaged.

Of course, the half the house that all my stuff is on. Always. The air conditioner that went out last month? Same half. The part of the carpet that was soaked because the ice maker broke? Same half. Now that half of the house is (from what we know) flooded. I honestly don't know what was on the floor, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not gonna be too happy when we return.

It's July 2nd. I didn't even get out of bed yesterday because....dammit, I didn't even feel like it. The whole day just friggen sucked. My grandparents had company today, so I went up and saw them. Lots of people, I got to hold a baby. I have now officially decided that I am not mommy material. I can look at them, and hold them, but once they let out a cry, it's all back to the mum. I'll pass my prime and then I'll have a really good excuse.

I've seen a few people that I haven't seen in years. Uncles, cousins, etc. Ate some. Wrote some on my paper. This is a break on writing my paper. I'm writing on my break from writing. >.< haha. I was gonna put some pics on facebook but I really don't feel like it right now.

It's funny, these people in Missouri saying it's hot out, and I go outside and I'm like "oh, it's so nice!"
They give me dirty looks
I can't help it, it's so much nicer than Texas.
But, they get ripped off at QT, because their drinks are 69 cents instead of 59. But I digress.
Here's to hoping the rest of July is better than the first two days have been. If the rest isn't better...this month is going to be hell.

Deuces, yo

Work it off

There are some days where you just don't have time in your schedule to do anything. I've been having them lately. You know, the ones where if you don't schedule a bathroom break or a minute to take a drink, you don't get one? Yea, that's what things have been like.

June calendar in Outlook- programmed too only show 3 things a day, otherwise you'd be stunned.

Don't get me wrong, I like to be busy and have things to do, but when things get too busy, sometimes things get neglected. Yesterday I realized at midnight that I hadn't eaten. Midnight. Whoops. When was my last written blog? Oh yea, I have a blog. Sorry to those of you whom I've neglected, I have a mini-weekend coming up soon (by mini-weekend, I mean I'll be writing a couple papers on Sunday, and I might have time to glance at the computer).

My project Tuesday went alright I suppose. Did you know I had a project Tuesday? You might or might not have. I don't know, because I don't know if I have written about it, because I've been so busy. The presentation was the most difficult part. I'm not all that great at communicating with people, especially when it's a lot of people. Especially when all their eyes are on me. I started crying. I have horrible presentation skills. Yes, last semester of college and I still cry during presentations. It was just a little. Don't hate.

This actually took a lot of time because it had to be perfect. Finished project.

I'm wearing my favorite shirt today. it's really shiny, and every time I wear it, people are like "woah, your shirt is really...........then they trail off. I fill in the blank and say "bright? shiny? I get it all the time dude. No big deal." They get embarrassed. It's funny, but it is my favorite shirt for other reasons, mainly because I actually like it. Yea, I actually like it.

Yes, I need to lose weight, I'm sorry.

Anyway, so I've been basically working my ass off for my internship because I need to have a lot of hours done before we hop, skip, and jump to St. Louis for a week, because when we come back, I have another class that I start, and my hours will be significantly cut. I've had someone also suggest an idea that might get me a job, but I don't know if I'll have the time for it. I don't know if the opening will be available after summer. I don't know what I'll be able to do yet. But, for right now, I'm working for free six days a week to get most of my hours done so that I'm not quite as stressed out when the last 5 weeks comes.

After that, I'll be ready to graduate. Ready to grab that degree and run like the wind. I will be so done. SO done. YAY!!! =D

Deuces, yo

Not broken

We often associate breaking with bad things.

Breaking glass, breaking toys, breaking windows. Cars break down, computers break, phones break. People break promises, laws, fingernails, and contracts. Hearts are broken, bones are broken, laws are broken, trust is broken. Houses are broken into, and families and even lives are broken.

But is breaking always a bad thing?

We never want to break a dollar, but it gives us a lot of change for later. Records are broken, fevers are broken; people break in shoes, and people break news. People take lunch breaks, work breaks, Spring Breaks, holiday breaks, and study breaks. Day breaks and twilight (not the book) breaks. Waves break on the ocean shore, someone else breaks an awkward silence, people make breakthroughs in science, math, history, english, breakthroughs that lead us to where we are today, breakthroughs that make the world a better place in which to live.

There are things that can make or break us, but that does not mean we are broken. We are survivors, those of us who are broken, but can pick up the pieces and keep on going, those of us who know that being broken doesn't mean that things are over. We know that just because something is broken doesn't mean that nothing can be done with it. We know that there are uses for things that are not the same as they once were. So maybe something is different, but we can use it in a different way, right?

For example, perhaps we have a broken window. It will not ever be the same window again, but perhaps the glass could be used to create something beautiful, unexpected, wonderful. Our heart might be broken by the loss of a loved one, but that does not mean we cannot ever love again, we might just love differently. A car might break down and no longer be useful, but its parts go to the junkyard to be recycled; its tires may be used for one thing, its metals for another, its other materials for yet another.

Breaking doesn't always have to be a bad thing, but because of the connotation of the word, people have come to associate it with bad things. People are always afraid of breaking something, but perhaps they should take a step back and look at what they are breaking.

Now, I am not by ANY means advocating breaking the law. That is one thing that should never be broken. Laws are set into place for a reason. I'm not telling you to go out and break a bone, because that is painful. Some things really ARE bad to break.

What I'm saying is, some of the things that people consider to be completely awful might not be so bad, if shed in a different light. Not all broken things are awful. Something that is broken can be restored into something wonderful and beautiful, something perhaps treasured even more. It just takes a bit of time, patience, creativity, and realizing that breaking something is not the end of the world

No better high

It's funny how we get so caught up in our everyday lives that we forget the little things that actually got us there. The people who have supported us, that one teacher that always helped out, that one friend that was always there; we get into this life as we become adults where we sometimes forget what it is that is driving us in the first place, and we become so task-oriented that we lose a sense of everything else that's going on in our lives.

I've kind of hit that place in my life. I've kind of lost a sense of self, because I'm putting it all into everything I'm doing, and in that process, all my friends and leisure (if I had anything that even resembled leisure to begin with) are dissipating into the distance. I feel so wrapped up in this world that when I'm not wrapped up in doing something, I wonder what it is that I've been doing all this time!

I guess it kind of gets like that when you find something you love. Anything we love. We tend to want maximum satisfaction from those things that make us happy, so we need to make the most of them. Right now, I'm doing great. This internship thing, even though I'm not paid a penny, is giving me rewards every day, when I go home and think of the things I have said, the things to say tomorrow, and everything in between.

Working with adolescents who deal with substance abuse issues isn't exactly easy, but it's so (ironically) addicting, and every high makes me want to return the next day and do something even better. It's great to say that what I'm doing every day is aiming to help people achieve goals, to make things more accessible to everyone, to help people fulfill things in their life that they may not be able to otherwise. I may not be getting paid glamorous amounts to do this, but it's a gift in itself. I don't have to have money in my hand to feel good about what I'm doing.

In the process, though, I'm leaving out the people who have been there for me, so I thought I'd say a little hello to them....HELLO! Anyone who reads here knows that I haven't been posting that much lately, mostly because my entire life has become so busy that I hardly have time to breathe, and sure, it's tiring me out, but I still feel great. And that's the whole object of life, right, to feel great about what you're doing? To me, there is no better high.

Burger Pizza

I remember in high school, our secret "code" to talk to other guard members about our crushes was to call them our "burger".

First, let me explain colorguard, shortened to guard for those of us involved. We spun flags & rifles, and on rare occasions sabres (although some groups have a much more trained sabre line) for visual entertainment. It is one activity that I wish I could still participate in, because I met a lot of fun & interesting people I would have never met otherwise. During the winter season, we broke off into our own group (in the fall we marched with the marching band) to form a group of our own, winterguard.

My time with the color and winterguards were some of the best of my high school days. We all formed very strong bonds. Being as socially inept as I am (inept- according to Random House, lacking the ability or aptitude to complete a certain task), I wasn't as closely bonded as were the rest of the members. Don't get me wrong, we were friends, and they were my closest friends during those years, I just didn't fit into the clique as well. Nevertheless, as cocaptain for one year and being involved my junior and senior year, I was still close to the inner circle. These were also the times when I had the best of my high school memories, most of them also quite entertaining lol.

Back to burgers. If you had a crush on someone, you would call that person your "burger" once everyone (in colorguard) understood of whom you were speaking. We would ask things like "have you seen your burger today? Or say things like "hey, I saw your burger down the hall".

One particular member had a burger whom we talked abou frequently, although now, 6 years later, the name escapes me). For the friend's sake, I'll just refer to her as A. Well, there was a dinner my senior year where the foreign exchange students chose one student, whomever they wanted, usually one that had been particularly welcoming, friendly, or helpful. I don't remember whether it was Teresa or Carolin that had chosen me, but I was thrilled to be chosen.

It was quite funny that A had also been invited, as well as the person with whom she was head over heels, her burger. They were at opposite ends of the table at Napoli's, an Italian restaurant directly across the street from the high school. We all saw what the others had ordered, and were entertained to see her burger order himself an entire pizza. We thought he'd never get through the whole thing, but he did!

From that point on, we also referred to him as "burger pizza" because how many other guard members had burgers that could scarf down an entire medium pizza by himself so easily? Now though, she's married and has an adorable little boy. I don't know if her burger pizza is the one she married because his name escapes me. One thing is certain, though; I will never forget burger pizza! I could probably ask A right now and I'm certain she'd laugh too.

There are so many guard memories that they can't be summed up in one blog, but one thing is certain- I'm stoked that I chose to join the guard, despite my inathleticism and ineptitude at dancing and being graceful, because those WERE the best times of my life, and if possible, I'd probably still be on a guard. Alas, things fall apart. At least I have the great memories from guard to replace or at least repress all the hurt and misunderstanding that I experiences I had during those years. They understood & respected me, gave me a bit of confidence, friendships I'll never forget, and enough memories to spend a lifetime to retell. Thank you Joshua HS colorguard/winterguard for getting me through the rest of high school after moving.

Also, I think my regular readers from all over the world- India, Croatia, Slovenia, the Netherlands, & many more, especially from the US (whom are about half my readers), those who are consistently reading, even if you ran into this blog by accident...I like that feeling I get when I know I'm being listened to, since I don't get it often. I've got more than 400 readers since I started this blog 1 September of this year- an average of over 100 a month! Thank you for the confidence boost. Remember that you can follow me if you create an account (which is quite simple) to get updates every time I post, instead of watching my page for new posts, or waiting for a link. I'd really like to see whomever it is that is reading my blog. You're also welcome to leave comments if you're a member, which would be greatly appreciated, and even include things you'd like to see in future blogs, or shoot a message at ashlw87@gmail.com :) have a nice day! Auf weidersehen!

See spot. Parking spot!!

So, today is the last class day of the semester :) AMEN!!! I had enough days present in lecture to exempt me from the final, so I don't have to stress over studying the material from the whole semester! It'll be nice to not worry about it over the weekend.

The topic today? Parrrrking. Ah, I got the idea from yesterday's Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show on KISS FM. Don't you hate it when you're waiting for a parking spot, and someone jumps in in front of you and swings into that spot? I find it rather annoying!

What I find funny about parking is the disparity in quality & cost of parking at the TCC campus and the UTA campus. You see, at TCC, parking is free, and your pass lasts 2 years. I very, very rarely have problems parking. In fact, I usually find a spot almost right away. In contrast, at UTA, I pay $112.50 for a one year parking pass, and sometimes even MISS CLASS because the parking is so awful. Sometimes, I even parked illegally in desperation to save my grades. That's pitiful, that the campus that gets more revenue from parking has such a horrible parking problem, while the campus without that same revenue has great parking.

In fact, at UTA it's kind of funny, almost a predatory game to find parking. Here's the method- you watch for a student to walk into the parking lot. The first person to fall behind that student usually gets the spot. At peak times, when classes usually release (20 after & 10 til), it can get really intense. Some people go so far as to offer the departing student a ride to their car (so they're guaranteed to get the spot).

I've never given a ride, but I admit to slowly driving behind students while they're walking to their car. I hate when people do that to me, and I kinda get a kick out of walking slowly to see who is patient enough to defend that spot. Who is desperate enough? Besides, I have nowhere to go, so no hurry! It's hilarious how far people will go to get that precious spot- remember, though, that we've paid $112.50 for those few available spots.

I've been very angry about this, because not only is the parking situation shameful, but they keep knocking out student lots to make them faculty, or destroying them altogether to build a second special events building (for sporting events and such). Why?? We already have one!! We need the parking more!!

To make matters worse, they've just built a second building for the Engineering students. Again, WHY?? My tuition money is going into a building I'll get nothing out of. Even better, they didn't add more parking for that new building, so the already packed, tiny social work lot will see a significant influx of engineering students who want close parking too. Social work parking will be destroyed starting in January. What a SHAME!! They're talking about building another garage- to which, of course, the admission will be outrageous. Hardly anyone uses the already existing garage simply because of the expense.

Typically, I don't get overly angry over losing a parking spot unless I've been waiting and missing class. Even then, I typically don't SHOW anger, except for maybe using a few choice words. Sometimes, people try to get a rise out of me, but it doesn't work very well! However, I've seen people get too angry, even aggressive, over parking, which doesn't help.

So, to wrap up, I just kinda wanna laugh over the way parking is created and maintained, and especially the hawk-like behavior of people looking for a spot. You may feel victorious over finding a spot right away, but remember the people who have been waiting. Doesn't mean you should give up the spot, but at least use common courtesy (even in desperate times), and don't steal spots. Since it's a really important time of year for retail, I think this is a rational suggestion, and hopefully it'll spark some thought in those who really want to think about others and use respect.

Auf weidersehen!