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!

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.

A sincere note

I sincerely hope my newest follows are reading this- it's going to explain some of why I'm not following yet/responding to much, but will later...and older readers, I've included some information you just might be interested in. Or it may be repetitive.

First, I have to apologise to those I haven't been responding to- give me until this weekend, and I promise, there will be response. I'm finishing my last class, psychology. I have a case study to write, which I'm extremely nervous about, and our final exam is also this week. Basically, this week is worth 1/2 of our whole 5-week grade. What I've done so far stacks up as pictured below:

I guess that's not so bad. Of course, it neglects to include the final (100 pts) and the case study (100 pts), and the last quiz...but they drop one quiz. Am I that concerned over the 23/25? Maybe. Yea, ok, I'm still taking quiz 5. So far, I have a pretty good grade, but there are still 200 points yet to be determined. Even if I get a perfect grade on my paper, I'm not in the clear, because there's still 25% of my grade to be determined by the final exam. Even if I do perfect on the multiple choice, that's only a 75% on the final, I'll be lacking 25 points...OK, now I'm being way too overanalytical.

And until the final exam is over, I want to mostly focus on that and the case study, and blogging is kind of my "break" from schoolwork. Anyone who follows me this week (including this past weekend)- I'm not ignoring you, I promise, I'm just finishing everything so I can get my degree. Seriously- if I do well this week, I'll have my bachelor's degree. In a way, that makes me want to panic. Actually, in many ways. If you go back a few blogs, I wrote about it (here), which, funny enough, leads you to a gamut of other blogs where I wrote about how excited I had been. Now that I can count on one hand how long I have left, I'm really panicking. O.o So just give me some time, Thursday is my final. After Thursday, I'll take Friday to relax and decompress, then I'll be back, hopefully. I'll be putting in job apps, of course, but I'll also have spare time (WTF?!?! really?)

Otherwise, I'll be keeping up with the 30 days posts (next one coming right after I finish this), and just trying to keep up with everything. No major structural changes this week, nothing special, nothing profound unless something extremely pertinent hits me, and I might not follow you until I'm done with school, so don't think it's because I don't like you. Seriously.

All my love,

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

The Countdown Begins...again

As promised, even though I'm extremely tired, and my computer is not letting me access internet (so I'm typing it on my phone!), I've got some extremely good news to share!

The social work department and I have teamed up and come up with a decision that has made me happy and they feel confident about their decision. I will, after all this ordeal, still be graduating in August!! Success!!! I cried. I screamed. I think I freaked a few people out. I'm elated. Counting, again, the days to the end of the summer.

Now it's time to do some heavy-duty job hunting, work on my resume, and finish what I've got left. I'm so excited that we were able to work things out!! In less than a month, I will be a college grad. =D

Criminal

When someone does something wrong, and they don't get punished for it, you get angry, right? And you wish horrible things for them, I'm sure, even though you would never outright admit it. Even I have to admit that at a time or two, I wished someone would trip over something, or just simply mess up and face the embarrassment that I've had to face.

What if the crime is bigger? Is the chair really the answer? Is putting them in a cell really the answer? I agree that it does keep some people from committing crimes, but it does weigh heavily on tax dollars, and it does nothing but give some of them a place to sleep and 3 meals a day. Putting them on the streets, especially in highly publicized cases, if you haven't picked up which I'm talking about yet, might be the option that would be a more harsh punishment.

After all, in prison, she might face taunts and fights, but then they face punishment and extensions of their sentences. In the outside world, anyone and everyone is free to taunt, bully, harass, and hate on her as much as they can. They can call her names and deny her jobs, leaving her living on the streets, hence no roof over her head. No three meals.

Word is that, tonight, Casey Anthony will be set free, out a back door to "protect" her, and that she will leave to an undisclosed location. Word is that she'll go to gun-toting, execution-happy Texas. I hope she doesn't end up in the hood- it's a scary place, especially with tags like "baby-killer" hanging from your forehead. Anyone who has been talking to people or watching TV knows about the case. Mention of her name could get her into trouble, but using a false name is another crime.

So, would putting her in solitary confinement in a prison for the rest of her life really be punishment? Would it really be justice? We can speculate that she might get some book deal or TV show, but what would they have to write on? Will she ever admit to it? Even if she did it would be Double Jeopardy to try her again, but what if they tried her for something else related? She does have a reputation, now. That will follow her for the rest of her life.

I do think that, in some ways, letting her walk free will be a punishment for her. She will be tortured, taunted, bullied, and she will have to face every day knowing that she was the one who is responsible for all this. And, for those of you who are religious, when judgment day comes, it is she, and only she, who will face her maker, and only she will be able to pay for what she has done. It won't matter how many years of prison she served on earth when she finally faces her ultimate fate after death.

Honestly, I think she could have written a book from her jail cell and had more protection, as well as regular meals, a bed to sleep in, small, but some income, and not having to fear every day that she has to face on the streets. Where will she work? What will she do? Where will she go? Where will she live? Who will she talk to? These things are all yet to come. Before everyone gets all up in arms about how she is being allowed to walk free with no punishment, think about the persecution she'll face every day on the street because of the negative publicity she has faced for years. Her life will never be the same again.

Honestly, I think she is guilty. I was very, very unhappy when I found out she was found "not guilty," until I thought about it. Not guilty doesn't mean she's innocent. It just means they didn't have enough evidence to convict her, unfortunately, and I don't think they ever would have. It's just one of those things that may have gone on for decades for all we know. Justice wouldn't be a jail cell or letting her sit in a chair and die. Justice would be her suffering for the rest of her life, methinks.

So even though my first reaction was to scream "WHAT THE HELL?!?!" in line at Six Flags in St. Louis, I think that, someday, somehow, she'll get what she's got coming. She's got an entire country hating on her, calling her names, and she's probably got groups of people out hunting her. Life will never be the same for her. She may not be in prison or dead, but life will more than likely be hell. I don't feel sorry for her in the slightest bit, because I think she did it, but I'm not going to cast judgments on her and throw her in the slammer, because it's not my place, and it looks like plenty of people have done that already.

Sixty-seventh Street

Life is a little bit different for everyone. Most of us agree that life sucks at one time or another. We've all heard the "life sucks, then you die" quote about a billion times. I like this one better, because it seems more parallel to my life. Not because I've had cancer or anything like that, but because I have pretty crappy luck compared to most people I know.

I mean, I came back from "vacation" to a room that had been flooded from the hot water heater flooding the house; I was the only one that sustained any real property damage. I got fired from my internship the day we got back. I'm short on medication because the insurance company wouldn't approve it before we left, so I had to wait until we got back....but my car was in the shop for an oil change and some funny noises, and my pharmacy is 30 miles away. Not that any (of the same price echelon) are closer. So I have to wait til tomorrow. My field instructor at the time, the one that fired me, wanted me to see a therapist, who is also quite far away. I was not about to ask for favors. I just wanted to go home and climb under a blanket.

So, it's not "life sucks, then you die." No, it goes much further than that (except I've never had cancer or been married....ok, my hardships are different, but the precedent is similar)

“Most people think life sucks, and then you die. Not me. I beg to differ. I think life sucks, then you get cancer, then your dog dies, your wife leaves you, the cancer goes into remission, you get a new dog, you get remarried, you owe ten million dollars in medical bills but you work hard for thirty-five years and you pay it back and then -- one day -- you have a massive stroke, your whole right side is paralyzed, you have to limp along the streets and speak out of the left side of your mouth and drool but you go into rehabilitation and regain the power to walk and the power to talk and then -- one day -- you step off a curb at Sixty-seventh Street, and BANG you get hit by a city bus and then you die. Maybe.”

-Dennis Leary

So there's a thought for you to chew on today. I'm not saying by any means that my life is awful and that nobody else has it worse, because there are plenty out there that have it worse, but right now, I think I need to complain. Things aren't exactly going smoothly, you know? Perhaps my "cancer" will go into remission soon, but I'm not taking any bets. I don't really want a new dog, and I don't want to get remarried. I'd pay the medical bills if I could get a decent job, or even get a job in the first place.

I need to watch out for those curbs, too. I've stepped off a curb and into the street, only to fall flat on the face, and not catch myself until after the light turned green. Then I could have been roadkill. Ouch. Let's just hope things get better *at least temporarily* from here. After all, this guy said things got at least a bit better for a while. Let's hope that happens, k? My carpet will turn out ok, I'll find another great internship, I'll do well in my classes, finish in August, and we can pretend none of this ever happened. Yea, that'll be good. Yes? I think so.

Deuces, yo.

Not a Bikini Model

Warning: I am not too happy in this blog; in fact, I complain a lot. I'm struggling with a personal issue and wanted to talk about it. It's something that's really bugging me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one facing this issue. Just wanted to mention this before I get all "I hate this & that"

We went shopping tonight. The intent was for me to look for a swimsuit. Seeing as summer is almost half over already, this should have been done long ago, but I'm sort of avoiding it, for one very, very large reason....

MYSELF

It has never been this large of a reason before. I've adjusted to the clothing changes somewhat more easily. I admit that it is somewhat difficult to see the higher numbers on the tag, but I can at least look at the mirror and not see a tub of lard; I can look in the mirror and not want to excommunicate myself into a closet for the next [insert number] years until I lose the requisite number of pounds.

I've always been self-conscious about my weight, even when I was thin, but it never wore on me this much. I looked in the dressing room mirror and cried. When I went to sit on the seat and cry, I fell on my ass because I missed the seat by about 2 feet- I was pretty upset. I didn't even care where the seat was. I've never been this upset by my weight. I want it gone.

I've done some exercise. I've been doing some portion control, eating smaller meals, and I haven't had much soda at all, seeing as I can't really taste carbonation. A little of it has come back, but it's not enough to convince me to drink it as much as I used to. Mostly I drink green tea, which is supposed to help your metabolism. I do yoga in my room at night to relax. Small snacks are stuff like sunflower kernels or fruit slices that I buy on the way to my internship, or sometimes I get them at home.

I don't even know if I want to leave the house now, after that ordeal. Seeing myself in the mirror, I don't know if I can subject myself to being seen in public with cottage-cheese legs. I'm so self-conscious and self-aware that it's really difficult for me. My sister keeps telling me that I look fine, but she didn't even see it before she said that. I don't think she understands my problem. Hell, I'm sitting here half in tears writing this. It's never been this much of a problem. Even when I had scars. even in years before when I was self-conscious, it was never this bad. I was never this overweight.

What do I do? How do I overcome this? I'm pretty sure that I can't hide out in my house forever. I'm going to Target tomorrow, because the selection at Hell-Mart wasn't very much- they had men's, women's, childrens, all together in one selection. I kind of suspected as much, but my mom insisted I look. There was only one that was even in my size, because I've gained so much weight. I felt like an oversized hippo, a whale. I was afraid to even show my mom, who would have been buying it. Embarrassed as hell.

It's gotten to the point where I can't even stand to look at myself in the mirror. I hate scales. I hate clothes even. If I could lounge around in pajama pants all the time, I would, since they're non-discriminatory. They stretch. Usually, at least. Then again, the ones that were falling off at Christmas are a little tight now. I don't wear them much. It's depressing. I don't know what else to do....this is a low for me. Very low.

I'm not just one of those skinny people just saying I'm fat, either. In fact, I look back at myself 50 pounds ago, and I want to slap myself in the face for saying the things I said. It makes me hate myself so much for not appreciating where I was at. I wish I could be back there now. Unfortunately, I can't. I'm stuck here now. I can't get a personal trainer or anything, I can't afford some gym membership or yoga class, and I can't get some super-healthy food plan or diet pills or anything like that. I just have to stare at myself and hope that the pounds just jump off or that I can come up with something on my own.

Unfortunately, heredity takes a huge part (no offense mom or dad, if you're reading this, which I'm sure at least one, if not both, of you will). I don't want to be stuck like this forever, but my genes say that I probably will be, and I don't want it to be that way. I want to go back to the way I was in '08. Hell, even '09 or '10 would be okay.

Other than that, there's not much on my mind besides doing a lot of schoolwork. I've got several supervision logs to turn in, and several papers to do before we go on vaca to St. Louis later this week. I'm looking forward to a little break, but I've gotta work hard as hell to make up everything before I get there. Wish me luck *crossed fingers*


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

Tidbits of it all

I'm in one of those moods where my brain is a little bit of everywhere today, you know?

We had a snake create a habitation in our garage recently. I was a little peeved, and afraid to walk in the garage for a few days. In fact, I wasn't comfortable for a few days, until I had been reassured with the gruesome story of his death, although I would rather not have heard the story. We also had the aircon go out on the side of the house where my room is at, making it like an oven in the triple digit Texas weather, but I survived, and spent most of my time away from home in air-conditioned areas. It is now fixed, and I am comfortable. Thank goodness!

So, I had some appointments at the university today before my first class of the summer semester. I ran into some really bad drivers. No, I did not literally run into them, although I somewhere, deep down, probably wish someone else ran into them, because they were kind of asshats. You know, the people that can't stand waiting in line, so they just jump out of line and drive around everyone else, whether it's safe or not? Both of them were driving Mercury Le Sabres.**

Afterward, I went to fill up on gas, since my gas gauge was kind of telling me it was time for some food. There was this creepy guy on the other side of the pump, and he asked me if I could loan him some money to fill his tank, but I told him I didn't know how much money was in my account, and I couldn't afford to overdraft (which was being absolutely honest, so at least I wasn't lying). As I was pumping gasoline into my car, the cops pulled up, and approached the guy. He was sitting in the cab of his truck, waiting. They asked him what was going on with him begging other people to buy him a tank of gas, and he told them he was out of gas and had no money. They told him he shouldn't approach people like that. I don't know if they left or what, but I made sure to keep track of my total, $31.86, just in case this guy crept around after me to try to fill up on my card. I really couldn't afford it.

I went to my social work class. 'Tis going to be a challenge. Heavy group paper due in July, where we have to create some kind of intervention for something that we believe is a chronic problem. We have to create a personal kind of thing where we talk about our identity and what makes us who we are, what makes us want to be social workers, and create a pie chart of how much we think each little part influences us. We have to write a paper evaluating the effectiveness of our agency. We also have to write a letter to a "prospective" incoming intern (ie We're not putting names on it or anything), including things we want to tell them and whatnot. Have I mentioned that this is on top of completing our internship hours and supervision and going to class? Plus I have another class in the second half of the summer. This will be a challenge. 2 months until graduation. 2 months. 2 months.

Speaking of, I found out when my commencement will be, even though it will be long after I receive my actual degree. I'm still sort of excited!! December 16, 2011. Yay Class of 2011!!! (Please, please let me pass...lmao)

So...life will be busy. Blogs may be scarce. I will try to do as much as possible. I may do most of my posting on the weekends, even though that's really my reserved "homework time" (as of right now anyway). Is anyone else doing anything interesting over the summer? Taking on any big projects?

See how frequently I'm switching around? That's kind of how I am lately. Really having a hard time staying on topic. Recent changes probably won't help that, but I'm okay with that. I'm a little scattered, but I'm getting everything done, and that's all that matters in the end. Now I just have to be certain I can keep up with and remember everything. I also need a creative idea for my personal identity thing. A creative way to present it, I mean. I have a lot of creative people read this, so maybe someone will suggest something (this is the part where someone jumps down to the comments and suggests something...soon....it's due the 21st....thank you and I pre-emptively love you)

Oh, and I like this new blogger in draft thing. It's really cool. Blogger, if you see this, keep mine like this. Please. It's much easier to navigate. Thank you. ***

**I have nothing against Mercury or Le Sabres. I just happened to notice that both of them were driving the same color, make, and model of a vehicle.
***Despite the ease of navigation, I am still having issues reading some of the blogs I'm following. What's the deal with that? I'm getting frustrated.

Texas summer

I remember summers as a kid....

When we got out of school, we'd sit around the house all summer, go to the pool when my BFFLTF's family would take us onto the military base (this was before 9/11, the rules weren't as strict), and we'd go to St. Louis to visit my mom's family for a week or two at the end of June and beginning of July.

We would be out of school at the end of May, and we would complain about how hot it was (hey, Central Texas gets pretty damn hot in the summer!!). We would go to Girl Scout Day Camp not too long after school let out for a week. The first few years, I was a camper. Then I became whatever it is the older kids become (I forget, it's been a while, they help with the younger kids). Liz and I did this together. I remember one year getting really, REALLY sick during camp, and I had to miss the rest of camp that year. I miss being out there in the 115F degree heat (I have no idea why, but I do).

A few years, I got to go to the week long camp where we stayed in tents away from home, with Liz and Sarah and some other girls from my Girl Scout troop. That was excellent! That was when I was at the age where you could sell Girl Scout cookies with a cute smile :) but then I grew up, and you had to have some marketing skills to beat out the young kids. Either that, or you had to have parents willing to pay for the overnight camp. Since I had neither, I never went back to the overnight camp past a certain age. I did, though, go to the Day Camp up until the time when we moved away.

After day camp, before the trip to Missouri, and after the trip to Missouri, we were pretty typical bored kids during the summer. We went to the pool on base a lot, because it was about the only interesting thing to do that was free. When I was in middle school, I played softball (for a small fee) for a couple years. Given my excellent athletic skills lack of athletic ability, I ended up playing right field. When we moved here and I joined colorguard in high school, I got the torture joy of going to band camp for all of August, when the temperatures are highest. Otherwise, for the most part, our summers were pretty uneventful, except for, of course, that trip to Missouri.

Living in Killeen, that trip to Missouri was a good 14-15 hour trip (depending on how often we stopped- remember, they were (at the time) towing along 3 children younger than 13, all in a minivan, with 2 dogs. That long of a trip is bound to last forever, and therefore, bound to require quite a few stops. At the time, we actually made the trip twice a year- once in the summer, and once over our Christmas break. That tradition died when I got a job, and had to work over the Christmas holidays. That was kind of my fault. :/

While we were in Missouri, we did a lot of the same stuff we did at home, but we did a lot of tourist-y stuff too. We would go to the Science Museum (which is a lot more fun when you're younger), the Magic Museum (I think that's what it's called- haven't been in a while); we'd go watch fireworks at this place where my grandparents...volunteered? I think that's what they did. They've moved since then, and now we have our own firework show *near St. Peters. Basically, they tried to make it a fun week for us while we were there, and we usually had some fun. They also went to the casino on occasion, leaving us with a babysitter (sometimes a cousin), which was actually kind of fun. This was, of course, before I was of age to babysit, or, of course, tag along to the casino and forget the babysitting gig. We went to the Gateway Arch a few times, and I think we've been inside once (if it was more than once, I forgot the other times). We went to a few St. Louis Cardinals baseball games. Then we went home, and spent the rest of the summer complaining about how hot and bored we were. Man, it was nice to get to Missouri, where it was at least a little bit cooler!!

Now, things are different. We have to coordinate my school (and sometimes a work) schedule, with my brother's work schedule, with my dad's work schedule, with my mom's schedule (which is usually open in the summer...and soon enough, my sister will have a schedule too. I had to work my school schedule for my last semester around trying to get back in time for the 2nd five week session, and realizing that I'd have to miss one class, the day after Independence Day. I have yet to discuss this with my professor, whom I'll be meeting with next week to discuss the issue. I'll be 800 miles away, so I won't exactly be able to be there, and I can't change that, unless she wants to pay for the gas for me to drive back. Ha! Yeah right.

We don't do the same things. Since my grandparents now live in St. Peters, a bit farther from St. Louis, we don't go to the same places. Plus, the places we used to go don't have the same...appeal. They're geared for children of a younger age. I'm 23 now, and I don't like the same things I liked when I was 9. That's okay- St. Peters has plenty to do. They have what's called the Rec-Plex- this place actually has like...5? diving platforms. They've held Olympic diving trials there before. Now, they don't let anyone but swimmers dive off any but the first two platforms, but it's still pretty darn cool. They also have a hot tub, a kiddie pool, a lap pool (for the serious swimmers), a sauna, then they have other activities altogether. I don't know what all they have, but the building itself is huge, and they have summer programs. We don't live in St. Peters, so we can't sign up, but it seems like a place I'd go if we did live there.

I also like to go to the casino, even though the machines like to eat up my money really quickly. They have several to choose from. Isn't that nice?? I can let one eat my money, and if I don't like that, I can choose another!! I can say that I'm not addicted because I can go back to Texas, where there are no casinos, and not suffer withdrawals, or cravings to cross the state line and go to the casinos there.

St. Peters also has a really nice mall, and my aunt and uncle have a nice house too. My uncle has some arcade-esque games in his basement/lower level of his house. Well, actually, they just have a lot of really nice stuff. In home theatre, hot tub, Coca-Cola bar...and they live on a cul-de-sac, where we hold our little fireworks show. It's really nice, and it beats staying home all the time.

Plus, this summer, I have my internship and the volunteer stuff I'm doing to keep me busy, so it's not too bad. I like keeping myself busy, because it keeps me from picking at my thoughts too much, because that can really be a bad thing. Now I just need a good swimsuit so I can go out one day and get my tan, and my summer will be complete. And trust me, it'll only take one day, one burn, and a few days of "ow, don't touch me, I'm sunburnt!!" before I have a really good tan going on. I'm excited!! We've had a few good days of sun, and only sun in the forecast (no rain or tornadoes!!) and I hope it stays that way.

It's summertime in Texas.

*I forget what the exact name of the place is. It's actually at my aunt's house, and it's close to St. Peters, but not in St. Peters.

Too much of a good thing

Too much of a good thing is...not often a good thing. In fact, it's usually a bad thing.

So I sit here, eating this "Skinny Cow" candy bar (it was 39 cents!!) thinking hmm. Only 110 calories, nice! Then I remember I've already had a few. Total 440 calories...not so nice!! That's the thing about these low calorie foods that you can buy now- often they put so little into it that you have to eat more than one, thereby defeating the purpose.

Another example, although I've never had this problem myself, is too much money. Rich people have a lot of crap to deal with...you know, like people making a media spectacle of them, asking for money, and the extra that isn't really "necessary" really has no use.

Too much water can kill you. Yes. It's true. It's rare, but it's true, mostly if you are drinking large quantities in a short period of time, or have some sort of illicit substance in your system. Too much of any vitamin can kill you. Too much exercise....well, I do believe that can kill you. Good things, when taken in excess, can kill you. It's sort of a paradoxical type of thing, but it's a really important thing to look at, nevertheless. I can't actually think of anything that is good to have in excess. Too much food is bad for you, too much sleep is bad for you (it's called hypersomnia), on and on. Even too much positive thinking....it's called narcissism! That's one I'd like to get rid of. Alas, it's hard to tell when something becomes too much, rather than too much, or not enough.

One thing I've thought of....is too much knowledge a bad thing? I guess it could be, but I'm finding it difficult to justify that position. Perhaps that's one area where I'm safe, because I'm always wanting to learn more. Just as long as I don't eat too many candy bars and drink too much soda. Knowledge is power! Wait, no, power in excess is bad. But knowledge is good. Is there a balance?

Back to studying. Happy eating!

Easters past

I know I said I'd write an Easter blog (to some of my viewers), but I'm a bit short on content. Easter is pretty much the same every year, and has always been pretty similar. My most interesting Easter tale would involve Easter in Hawaii, if I remembered it, or the year it snowed on Easter in Texas, which would be a one-sentence blog not worth reading.

So, instead, I've just decided to talk about what Easter was like as a child. It wasn't really exciting, per se, except for the chocolate. My immediate family never pushed the religious aspect, really. They did the Easter bunny thing, though. We always had to go to bed early, because if we didn't, "the Easter bunny won't come if you're awake." How this ever was convincing to me, I'm not sure. Maybe it's the fact that I'm overanalytical which led me to discovering the true nature of the Easter bunny. Honestly, I don't remember, but I still went to bed early, even after "finding out," because I wanted that candy.

Of course, to me, bed "early" meant 5 minutes early, at most, and I never fell asleep early (I'm an insomniac. I never told my parents this; thus, they don't believe that I really was awake so late every night even after going to bed). When I woke up Easter morning, there was always an Easter basket filled with candy and a special little gift- one year, I got a Christina Aguilera cassette for my walkman (now I don't know where either one has gone), another year, I got a big purple stuffed peep (of whose whereabouts I also am not certain).

Then, of course, we did the Easter egg hunt thing. Sometimes they were in the couch, or in the coffee table (the top lifted and there were 2 compartments inside). This, of course, was when we lived in Killeen, in a much smaller house; I think an Easter egg hunt here would have been KILLER awesome, but by the time we moved here, I was a teenager, and  was to "be nice" to my sister (8 years younger) and let her find more, basically.

Afterward, we chose a small portion of our candy to take with us to take the (at the time) 3 hour drive to my grandparents' house, where we never visited as much as we do now that we're 2 hours closer. There, we would have another hunt at their (now dismantled) trailer house, outside. This made for some amazing hiding places for eggs!

It was always outside back then, as it is now, and they'd have the younger kids sit inside and not look out the windows as they hid the eggs. Each kid, as they do today, got a money egg; the price has gone from $2 or $3 back then to $6 now (I admit to being a little jealous), but it was always exciting to find your "money egg". It had your name on it; if you found someone else's money egg, you were to leave it be until they found it. Occasionally, we'd lose an egg or two and EVERYONE would go out searching for it, but this wasn't often. I've not participated in the hunt since they moved to their house.

They're really big on the religious aspect, though. I don't pressure it; it's a big thing for them, though, since they're super religious (compared to myself). I actually heard an interesting explanation today for the eggs and the bunny and all that, but I have forgotten it. It was something I had never heard before, and really integrated the religious part of Easter.

As I got older, it got less exciting. Now that my sister "knows", we just get some candy handed to us (which I still don't mind), and we go up there to visit, and sometimes hide eggs. We eat, and today, I overindulged in desserts. Turns out that berry flavored cheesecake tastes REALLY good with actual strawberries mixed in. *wipe drool*

Now I've got a presentation to polish, a bibliography to write, and some sleep to get before my presentation tomorrow. I also have an economics exam on Tuesday, plus all my internship stuff....and I need to see if I can meet with my field advisor on another day. It's going to be a busy week, but I keep reminding myself that after 2 more weeks, I'll be in my FINAL SEMESTER of my undergraduate degree. YAY :D