Enjoying life more everyday

Growing up, I felt like the responsible one in my family. I rebelled against my mom and dad by being an ANGEL of a child. Not that they were horrible, but I don't do a lot of things now because of the example they set (or really, didn't set). Seems ridiculous, but I was kind of an uptight kid. I felt an enormous amount of pressure, most of it, I think, came from myself. I did not want to be working in a bar when I got married and started a family, so I was very focused in doing well in school and doing "resume-building" activities. Then I went to college and did the same thing in hopes of being as prepared as possible for the post-college job-search. And I had fun, in college but I also had to work incredibly hard to pay for all my housing, etc. I had very little assistance from my parents and I struggled several years to realize that I ONLY needed to be responsible for myself and what I did. I felt that I could argue with my family until they changed. That, I found out, does not really work. So now, while I'm still feeling the effects of putting myself through school (loans, credit card bills, more loans), I have definitely chilled a bit more in my "adult" life. (The fact that I should even consider myself an adult blows my mind.) I have been able to accept a lot more of the parts about my family (and some friends) that I used to not be able to handle or let go. I better appreciate my mom and my aunt's care free and loving attitudes. I love how much my grandma is absolutely devoted to all her children and grandchildren (despite their flaws).

So, despite all of the hard work and, admittedly, disappointments with not having it easy, I feel more content then I have my whole "responsible person" life. I'm not perfect and I don't have everything I want, but that's what the point of life is; enjoying what and who you have in your life but always working to improve it and make it more fulfilling. So, despite my full-time job and all my loans, I also have time to write, to read and do what I enjoy. And I'm kind of loving that right now.

Photo from here.

The Right Way and The Wrong Way to go about finding new roommates

It's been almost 6 years since I first moved to Kansas for school. Since then, I have had SEVEN addresses and I am preparing to move again. The order: residence hall freshman year, sophomore apartment, junior apartment, senior apartment, random loft for 8 months, random apartment with weird roommate for 5 months and finally my awesome townhome I'm in now. I'd like to not leave, but sometimes life doesn't give you a choice. So, I'm looking at similar townhomes on the same street.

I have been a Craigslist.com stalker for several months now, making sure I've viewed everything with ANY potential promise. Places to live, non-creepy roommates to become new best friends with. But what this has given me is a feeling that most people don't know how to go about being successful in life. Sounds harsh, but hear me out!

If you don't know how to fully explain yourself, your house/apartment OR your situation in a paragraph or two, you must not do well at life. Here is an example:

Need place to stay for June : Needing place to stay for the month of June. 19 year old male. Very Clean.

Way to say the same thing twice yet only use 25 words. That's a skill. But seriously, that's all you can come up? No specifics?

So, if you decide to put information up on craigslist, more details, please!

I just need to stop thinking about it!

I worry, a lot. And I say stupid/embarrassing things. Which leads me to CONSTANTLY WORRY about the stupid/embarrassing things I've said. I try to rationalize that everyone has those feelings of doubt about how they reacted to a situation. Everyone says silly or stupid things. But I still feel like a fool reliving these things OVER and OVER again. And if I think of one, I think of many more. This is happening at work rather often now. I know that not everything I say or do is remembered by everyone who is in the room at the time. I am absolutely NOT the center of this world. But I still cannot help it.



I maybe need therapy. Or just a good kick in the butt. How does everyone else deal with minor humiliation on an (almost) daily basis?

Embarrassed squirrel picture from here.

Quesitonable naming practicse... on the RUNZ

Why would you name things (especially related to food) that when said aloud do NOT make you want to use or to eat.

Examples:

1. Runza. RUNS-a. A fastfood chain in the midwest. I will not eat there on principle. (Not Spangles-worst ads in the world principle.) Not eat there because it SOUNDS gross principle.

2. Cuisinart. Kitchen appliances. Never thought about it until I heard it on a commercial. Sounds like queasy. Making food with something that sounds like queasy? No thanks!!! (Ok, I was just at a wedding shower and *know* these are actually quality kitchen appliances. Maybe they should just tweak the way it's said...)

Anything else that you've ever heard and thought: "really? that's the best you could come up with?!"

Desiner X, we're just not buying it

The "You're Fired" statement of "The Fashion Show" is: "We're just not buying it". Practically rolled on the floor laughing after I heard it. Perfect in its amount of cheesy. How hilarious is that? Just watching my second episode and, as much as I don't want to, I keep comparing it to Project Runway.

The cons: NO Tim Gunn (who is the BEST). Isaac Mizrahi's hair. Seriously? The "guest judges" are not as cool. Tinsley Mortimer? I've heard the name, but I don't care. Kelly Rowland is obviously just reciting her lines, not delivering them. And frankly, it's just not as entertaining. Maybe we just need more time to adjust to the lack of Tim Gunn!

The pros: Isaac Mizrahi will cut a bitch. Good times. The designs are just as diverse. The challenges are more creative and tests the designers limits more fully. AND they have to work in teams (so far!)

100 shows and death and hope

Via Twitter and the student newspaper at the university I work for, the only thing everyone is thinking about is the upcoming ceremonies to celebrate commencement. Oh, I guess I'm thinking about it, too since "graduation" is in my title as an academic advisor. Getting to give the okay to hundreds of students to graduate is a funny thing. The undergrads drive me crazy and ask stupid question but I understand their excitement and anticipation and what it means. And, ultimately, I feel bad (for most) when they've done something to jeopardize their graduation.

Recently, there have been a string of deaths that have occurred on our campus. Alcohol poisoning, a tragic fall from a building (alcohol-related) and speculated drug overdose. Although I was not able to read it, today, the chancellor sent an e-mail to all students asking them to be safe in their decisions this evening. Tomorrow is Stop Day (no classes before finals) and tonight, students celebrate its eve by partying hard. Really hard. I was once one of those students. I never did the amount of drinking that some students did several times a week, but I'm sure there were questionable decisions made during my 4 1/2 years of as a student. Still, I'm worried about the sirens I just heard. And I hope there won't be any bad news on www.ljworld.com tomorrow.

Tonight, I watched the 100th episode of Grey's Anatomy. The ER handled the victims of a car crash: 8 college students on their way to graduation. The only girl that survived the crash of those students was the valedictorian. She recited her speech as she prepared to go into surgery. She spoke of "beginning her life" as the montage showed her 7 friends being zipped up into body bags; their lives, effectively, over. I think that's the thing about being a kid and going to college. To truly become an adult, you must realize that at some point, your life has already started. At some point, the decisions that were once your parents', become your own. It's a startling feeling to realize you're on your own for real. It's one thing to say it and think you accept your responsibilities. And entire other to feel it, know it and realize what you do each day is defining who you are as person.

So, why are these students making decisions and choosing actions that put their lives at risk? Why do something so pointless that may take away your chance at living a full life? There must be a way to get through to these students. But how do you tell them their life is at risk when they don't think their lives have even started?



"You don't recognize the biggest day of your life until you're right in the middle of it. The days you meet your soul mate. The days you realize there's not enough time because you want to live forever. The perfect days." -Grey's Anatomy

"Happiness is about connecting with people. Optimism is contagious."

"Everyone's so happy. This could last longer than just today." -Michael J. Fox on inauguration day.

I Am Ready.

95% sure this is not the music video for this song, but the shots are completely beautiful.

About being a girl...

I *KNOW* how to change a tire. I am comfortable in my ability to do so. But here's the thing. I have girl genes. You know, the genes that dictate my gender. Of the two options, what is, to be truly realistic, the more feminine gender. This may appear sexist, but it is the case for me. So, when I need to change a tire. I know how, but physically CANNOT. And, as an independent woman, this pisses me off! So, this afternoon, I could not change my tire. My male roommate did. *angry face*



It's been 10 days of crazy and I've loved every minute of it. I literally had too much fun this past weekend. What happens, you ask, when you have too much fun?! You literally make yourself sick. True story.

But here are the highlights.
*Brown Bag Drag on campus! Along with Chancellor's event and school field trips. There's always a lot going on during the Brown Bag Drag lunch hour!



*We drove the 50 minutes to Kaufman Stadium so we could watch the Royals game Saturday night. An hour before the first pitch, standing room only tickets had been made available and then sold out twice. We weren't getting in this game. In my defense, Becky had told me the games had been selling out and I *DID* tell Ryan. He just didn't listen to me. See, this is what boys get for not listening to the ladies! We didn't get to see the game, but we did get some beer, some good grillin' and a viewing of Sex and The City with the ladies. (Also, my allergies kicked in, but let's focus on the fun, no?!)

*This weekend was also jampacked with some crazy, good old-fashioned Kansas weather. Tornadoes, hail and thunderstorms, oh my! I love a good thunderstorm. Despite the noise and lightening, it's oddly comforting.

*Got to see some friends who I hadn't seen in awhile. Becca (who lives in central Kansas stayed with me the whole weekend), Becky (who is in charge of some before and after programs in the KC area AND my freshman year dorm roommate!), and Lauren (who is working on her phD in Scotland!)

All in all, one of the best weekends in a long time. But also the cause of my blogging hiatus, despite BEDA. oops.
Random notes from the tv I have on in the background:

"Arlen is willing to eat it" as said by Chris Matthews on Keith Olberman's show tonight about Arlen Spector. Just MOMENTS after he has slobber on his chin. You're a winner, Chris.

Later, "I'm glad to be your lead-in bro" said by Chris to Keith. Someone should tell him to shut up!

Be a Winner!

Please see Mrs. Newlywed's site to enter to win some fabulous monogrammed towels. SOOOO adorable!

Work hard/play hard makes life pretty fun. This week definitely fit the bill. Planning on being as lazy as possible today. Except, I should fold and put away my TWO WEEKS of clean clothes on my bed. *SO* lazy sometimes!

Ooh, except there's lots going on in Lawrence today. Not to mention Panera or Milton's is calling my name. Oh, unless you've been to Lawrence, you've probably never heard of Milton's. Well, this charming little paper on the east coast recommends the french toast if you're in town. Let's just say, if you're in town, you MUST go. Just be sure to beat the church crowd!

Don't call this place boring...

...it's freakin' gorgeous.






and me, heading out to enjoy the lovely evening :)

Ok, A or B? 1 or 2?

Look to the left. I currently have two ways to import twitter updates.

Number One: The RSS feed with my twitter page in the website.
Number Two: A twitter-specific widget.

Which looks better? Very similar, yes but also importantly distinct. Thoughts?

Also, busiest 48 hours of my adult working life. WAY behind both work and personal emails. Behind with my google reader Behind with INSANE facebook status debates (that story to come this weekend!). Also behind with my BEDAing. *sigh* What are you gonna do? Life gets CRAZY!

EDIT: Removed the RSS feed. That does not update automatically (every time I tweet) and does not show how long ago the tweets were. So, there ya go!

Blogger Question of The Week

How do other blogger users get their tweets to update automatically onto their blog? Is it a specific gadget google already has? Or is it your own html (which *might* kill me if I try to figure out... help!

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OR! Is it using a RSS feed? (Which I don't totally understand but will now attempt to figure out...!)

LOLCatz... makin' me laugh for over a year

*Because I pledged (in a way) to BEDA (Blog Every Day in April) and because it's Monday (so I don't have a lot of spare brain power to spend writing a clever post) you're getting my favorite lolcats from the past week. (Although, it does take significant brain powers to correctly embed the pictures...) Don't forget to smile :) *

Amen.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Cute.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Funny AND timely.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Awwww.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

hahaha.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I could go on. OR you could just go the website. http://icanhascheezburger.com/ ... making Mondays more memorable...

Beyond Expecations

My friend Ashlee from high school (now in a love-hate relationship with law school in St. Louis) twittered the following video this morning. Amazing.



From this video, I remembered Paul Potts, who sings opera.



This video brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it (and makes me want to see an opera). Happy Easter :)

Use Somebody

I had kind of forgotten about Kings Of Leon since Christmas when I gave my sister the CD and meant to borrow it from her. I don't think she actually likes it, so my request will be "to borrow it" with the intention of never giving it back. I gave her my new earrings I liked so much and ordered myself another pair so it's only fair. And I wouldn't want the music to go to waste! But here's their newest video for "Use Somebody", a song that makes me want to make out with someone but breaks my heart at the same time.

Kings of Leon - Use Somebody

Living your life online

Ah, the internet. Suck a fickle beast, no?

Let's start with a couple things you can read, do, see, track, monitor within your Google account. Lots, right? There's your blogger account. (ie THIS blog!) And you can keep track of all the blogs you "follow" through your dashboard. OR, you can use Google Reader. I've heard good things about the Reader although, I've just started exploring it. Can anyone tell me the reasons to use Reader instead of just tracking the blogs you follow through the Dashboard? I guess you can keep track of more than just blogs?!

I don't know who I heard mention this, but, through the use of Google Alerts, you can monitor your online presence. Enter your name as an alert and google will email you every time something new is out there on the internet with your name! I just set mine up. Hopefully, no one plans on writing anything bad about me because I WILL KNOW!

In addition to reading news or watching videos, you can also date online. I do have a profile (site to remain unnamed) it hasn't been that successful for me. But every so often I get the most bizarre messages. Here's one I got today.

"That's a lot of info packed into your profile. I guess you have a pretty good start on sounding like an interesting person to get to know (very cute smile by the way) Tell me something...what is there about you that would make me want to get to know you better?"

Besides it coming across as slightly RUDE, how the heck would you respond to this? Maybe HE should be giving ME a reason to respond. Argh. I still believe dating is dumb. Maybe because people are stupid and frustrating!

Blogger?

Does anyone know how to start a draft of a blog, but when you go to post it, post it for the time/day you finish it and not when you STARTED the draft? This bothers me.

On the up side, I JUST figured out how to receive notifications of when someone comments on a post. Yeah, I'm a genius.

*B

The Credit Situation

In high school, when I was getting ready to go to college, I decided it would be a good idea to get a credit card. You know, emergencies, build your credit, etc. After months of searching with a friend who also needed credit, a "student" bank finally gave us a credit card. Well, two years later when rent > income, I was excited to learn my current apartment (apartment #1 of many, but that's a post for another day) accepted credit card payments for rent. Did I say "excited"? I meant STUPID. Then began my use of the credit card for things that YOU DON'T PUT ON A CREDIT CARD. Like rent and an occasional bar tab.

I have now been in my current, salaried job for 10 months and I'm STILL paying off my credit cards. I have the "Big One" which may take me another 18 months and several smaller ones (ie Gap, Old Navy, Target). I received my federal government refund 10 days ago (I only really only worked 8 months last year) and promptly paid off the balances on my Target and Old Navy credit cards. And on Monday, I canceled them. I was ecstatic. In preparing to call the first company (Old Navy), I braced myself. They don't like to let you cancel your credit cards and I was ready for the battle. But what's this? I don't have to talk to anyone? "Push 2 to cancel your card". Really? I pushed 2 and wallah: No more Old Navy credit card! I did not have the Target card at work with me, so I would call to cancel that one later in the evening. My disbelief at not having to actually SPEAK with someone turned to triumph. I had beat the system. (Let's not talk about how much in interest I've paid on that one over the years. No, really, let's not. I don't know and I don't want to know.) So, I got home, found my Target card, called the number in the back, punched in some numbers and listened for the "cancel option". I pressed "3" but the automated system did not give me the "okay, we'll cancel your card" option. It gave me the "ok, let us connect you to customer service" message. I tensed. I had to talk to a live person? Crap. Yes, I know you can pay off the balance right after you make the purchase. No, I don't care that I'm losing 765 points. My biggest strategic plan: "I have no credit" didn't even work. They have ways AROUND that. I think I said "I really just need to cancel it" 11 times. I had been working towards paying off and canceling as many cards as possible for several months. These 6 1/2 minutes I spent pacing the kitchen, dining area and laundry hallway so my resolve would not waiver. If I stopped, they could inch away at my shield. I even promised to keep shopping at Target. I would have liked to threaten to not continue spending my money at Target, but who would I have been kidding, really?

So, while I have the majority of my debt left to pay (me and student loans are going to be GOOD friends for 18 more years) getting these two of my plate felt good. I may even get to start SAVING money next month. I can only hope, for my sanity, that I will be able to.

BEDA

Maureen Johnson is young adult fiction writer. Don't ask me how I found her blog, but I did and it's hilarious. (And I am no longer a young adult. What does that say about my maturity level since she's writing FOR young adults? No se...) Well, she made an offhand crack (via Twitter, I believe!) to blog everyday in April because she had been neglecting her blog (or something). Well, her followers thought it was a real thing and thought she should do it. Well, now she's doing it and, I guess, it is a real thing.

So, even thought I missed the first few days (with family, you never have time for anything, let alone BLOGGING), I'm going to attempt this. Should be easy, no?! (ESPECIALLY since THIS counts as today's entry!!!)

You can even follow the project on Twitter: @BEDA09

One year ago today...

...I was in Allen Fieldhouse. (Baseketball again, I know. But this will be it until October!) Not watching KU play live, but watching a video on the big video board of the men's basketball team playing in San Antonio. We (yes, it's a collective "we") were down by 9 with just over a minute to go and several spectacular plays later (and several missed free throws by Memphis and Mario Chalmers (with a scrappy floor-assist from Sherron Collins) hit the most magestic 3-point shot I will ever see sending the game into overtime. As a KU fan, you almost knew the outcome from there.

Here is the pep talk from KU Coach Bill Self before the game on April 7, 2008:


A video from where I was:


And then we went to Mass. Massachusetts Street that is...


Here's to next year, an unstoppable team, I'm sure!

(Oh, and GO SPARTANS! MSU beat KU in the tournament last weekend, so it's better if they win! I think?!)