Piece of Me

1. "You can do anything. But you can't do everything." - David Allen (found via sunshine and wine)

It drives me crazy not to be caught up on what's in my Google Reader but I keep adding so many blogs to it (you people are hilarious!) there are usually at least 400 unread items. Sometimes, like when my laptop stops working, it reads 1,000+ and I can hardly handle the stress. I have the same problem with work and personal email. I will read it and deal with it later (or forget it exists).

2. "I watch you spin around in the highest heels / You are the best one, of the best ones -Dashboard Confessional

Delicious is my new favorite tool. I use it to bookmark lyrics of amazing new songs that catch my interest on my Pandora Ray LaMontagne station, recipes, or laugh-out-loud-and-your-coworkers-probably-think-your-crazy blog entries by fun new bloggers you've found (like Marie Antoinette).

3. "Please forgive me if I act a little strange / feels like lightning running through my veins" - David Gray

I hate not having a solution. Especially when it involves other people. But right now, we're at a stand still. And my heart is aching because of it. I can't let go but it's not happening right now. I hate the phrase "wait and see" but I guess we'll have to.

What Matters Now

I will straight up admit I got this excerpt from lauren nicole love. Thanks to her for finding amazing things :)

An excerpt from Elizabeth Gilbert's book What Matters Now (a free eBook here)

We are the strivingest people who have ever lived. We are ambitious, time-starved, competitive, distracted. We move at full velocity, yet constantly fear we are not doing enough. Though we live longer than any humans before us, our lives feel shorter, restless, breathless...

Dear ones, EASE UP. Pump the brakes. Take a step back. Seriously. Take two steps back. Turn off all your electronics and surrender over all your aspirations and do absolutely nothing for a spell. I know, I know – we all need to save the world. But trust me: The world will still need saving tomorrow. In the meantime, you’re going to have a stroke soon (or cause a stroke in somebody else) if you don’t calm the hell down.

So go take a walk. Or don’t. Consider actually exhaling. Find a body of water and float. Hit a tennis ball against a wall. Tell your colleagues that you’re off meditating (people take meditation seriously, so you’ll be absolved from guilt) and then actually, secretly, nap.

My radical suggestion? Cease participation, if only for one day this year – if only to make sure that we don’t lose forever the rare and vanishing human talent of appreciating ease.

Happy Tears

I was in 9th grade when my emotional sensibilities kicked in. We watched "The Odyssey" in my English literature course and when Odysseus' wife, Penelope, realizes her husband has returned after 17 long years away, I wept for them. Thankfully, the lights were off in the classroom and my silent tears went mostly unnoticed by my classmates. That same year, I watched "City of Angels". And Nicolas Cage's previously unfelt pain was like my pain. He gave up everything for Meg Ryan and then she was gone. I set next to my friend since Kindergarten, Caroline, as we both tried to hide our tears. Apparently, we were saps.

But I didn't get it from any stranger: graduations, particularly important birthdays, high school dances, meaningful Christmas gifts, "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart; all produce tears from my mother's eyes. My sister and I used to make fun of her, now we embrace it. Especially since we're usually right there with her. My sister decided to make my mom a scrapbook of family photos for christmas. She started in October. I contributed scrapbooking materials, my sister's boyfriend picked out the book, and his son (my sister's semi-stepson) created his own page full of pictures and stickers. We decided weeks ago my mom would bawl like a baby when she opened it. A week or two before Christmas, she commented on this to her boyfriend's 5-year old son who responded, with alarm: "why will Cappy (Cathy) cry?". My sister told him our mom would be crying happy tears, not sad tears. But the tears came far before Christmas morning, when my mom eventually opened (and cried over) her scrapbook. Christmas Eve, she had my sister and I open identical presents. Small, silver bracelets that read"Sisters are different flowers from the same garden". A few glasses of wine in, and obviously, we were a little emotional about it.

A few times in the past couple months, I've found myself crying for no particular reason. Usually, in the car when I have nothing but my thoughts to keep me company or when an emotional song hits me, juuuust right.

Example:

• Laughed Until We Cried by Jason Aldean

More Jason Aldean music on iLike

But a lot of the time, I'm just thinking about all the good right now: my family, my high school friends, my college friends, my Lawrence friends, my coworkers, my job. Life isn't perfect, but I'm living it. Everyday, I'm doing what I want. I'm enjoying what I have. I'm dating someone and trying not to freak out or do that thing women do. I'm just glad I get to spend time with someone I am so grateful to have met this year who also happens to be an incredible person. Other than that, I don't want to push it.

So, there's all this good stuff? And I'm appreciating what I DO have, opposed to lamenting what I DON'T. I think that's what us humans would call happiness. And I'm thrilled to be there! May you always cry more happy tears!

7 days to celebrate

At 330pm on Thursday, December 17, I emailed my final paper to the instructor for my grad class this semester. I felt that 50 pounds had been lifted off my shoulder. Grad school wasn't the worst idea/decision I made this year but it is definitely high on the list.

I could have used a drink that night after work but, having been knee deep in research regarding state funding of public universities, I realized I had 7 days left to get all my Christmas celebrating in. So Thursday night, I cleaned the house. My roommate and I had both been all over the place for about two weeks, so the place had been a little neglected. And I was having a guest over Friday night and thought it would be good hostessing to have the place at least LOOK clean. Friday at lunch I grabbed some wrapping paper and starter logs for my fireplace. (I ended up not needing the logs because, WEIRD, I had a GAS fireplace. Oops.) Thankfully, the man (did I mention I was having a dinner guest?!) did his thing and got the fireplace going without blowing us up. Phew.

Saturday I did some shopping, watched the KU men's basketball team win its 10th game of the year. I wasted time watching movies and re-watching the So You Think You Can Dance top 6 dances. Then I put pins in my hair, green shadow on my eyelids, gray pumps on my feet and went downtown to see a big band (18 pieces!) and drink rum and cokes (please, don't tell my dentist or periodontist!)
Today I actually worked out (for the first time since before thanksgiving), went to the grocery store and made ranchburgers.

Ohmygosh, I have free time and I'm actually getting stuff done?! And enjoying the weekend? This is what I miss out on when I'm worrying 95% of the time about grad school work.

So yeah, grad school. Officially un-enrolled. I withdrew. I'm a grad school drop out. I should still probably let the program director know, but details schmetails. I'm glad I tried it. I'm also glad that I recognize it's not something I can continue. I've had my fill of classroom learning. I want to get out there and do things. Not write 20-page papers about the crappy funding state universities receive.

So, now I appreciate my free time now. And my ability to seek opportunities outside of school. After this year, after what I've tried, where I failed, what I've gained, the people I've met... I'm sure both wonderful and important things will happen next year. And now, I'll have more time to savor it all.

In a perfect world

Briana: When we have our own event planning company, our hours won't start until 10 AM (because of all of the late night events we'll have of course) but we'll aim to be at the gym together by 8 AM to exercise and get coffee. (at least in my head :) )
And every night a certain someone will sing me this song:


In a perfect world. I think I'll work on it.

But right now, I took the day off from work so I could work on my paper due for class on Thursday. So, I should probably actually do some writing.

December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

So, a few days late. But I'm really just being picky and choosy with this "best of 2009 blog thing". Sorry, I'm not yet a dedicated blogger!

What I learned? Sometimes you just judge people totally the wrong way and you make bad decisions. And even though you know (deep down) it's a bad decision you throw in some make-believe and it's the best thing ever. Then it changes. But you know what? The best thing about me, is that I learned from it. That I can appreciate new people for who they are and what they mean to me because you've seen your mistakes. And this is different. This is me, growing.

And then you laugh about it. And that feels REALLY good.


Also, on a completely unrelated note, is it wrong to "favorite your own tweets"? Because I've done that twice this week...

Visuals

I got a new phone a few weeks ago and have loved using the camera (5 megapixels - not too shabby!) Here's a few I've taken.

I hate that it gets dark so early, but dusk is my favorite time of day.


Blurry, but a cool image.


On West Campus.

Me on pre-Thanksgiving date night.


Lawrence's Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade yesterday:


Some of the carriages are gorgeous:


It was a VERY chilly morning:


So I got a latte while I worked on my paper for class (LOVE Henry's on 8th!)


Some new art in my mom's bedroom.


KU's men's basketball team is playing at UCLA this afternoon (lucky them, bet it's 40 degrees warmer there) so I'm going over to my friend Ryan's house to watch the game. Should actually be a good game. The last team we beat by like 60 points- it's rough being the #1 team in the country! Rock Chalk!

Coffee Shop Thoughts

Lawrence has no shortcomings when it comes to coffeeshops. And I've been to 3 today. I'm working on my paper for my ridiculous grad class. (But that's a whole other topic!)

I had to pick a current issue in higher education and write about the topic generally and how it applies to the school I profiled for my midterm (University of Iowa - Go Hawks!) The topic I picked was state funding of public higher education institutions. This, if you haven't been paying attention, has declined drastically in the past 10-15 years and is clearly an important issue surrounding state budgets currently (see: UC system, University of Kansas). I've had some good, current information to use, not that I've enjoyed writing any more, but the discovery of information part is nice.

The biggest problem with funding (and I'm generalizing here), even after a 12% cut for fiscal year 2010, is that revenues for the state are not at what were projected when the budget was created. So, more cuts necessary. But my thoughts about revenue, made me think about taxes (hopefully, increasing taxes, or cutting previously implemented tax breaks will be the next route, not cutting more spending) and how much more of the money I pay in taxes (from my pay check) goes towards the federal taxes and not state taxes. Which made me think: "if only we could distribute more money towards the state budget, rather than federal budget. Which, inevitably made me think "why can't we CHOOSE where our tax money goes?" (I guess that's what our elected officials do, but clearly THAT isn't working out great!) Not a completely brand new idea, I'm sure, but WHAT IF?! Unless there was a great threat that called for an act of war (imagine post-Septemeber 11), who would CHOOSE for their tax dollars to go towards a war? There are clearly MANY problems with this idea, but it's kind of nice to think about. Because if my state and federal governments are going to take the hundreds of dollars they do every month, I'd like it to go towards funding education at ALL levels- that should NEVER be cut. But that's just me.

Now, if only I could pump out words for my paper as quickly as I did for this blog entry.

take a look

Peter DeWolf is a writer with a blog. He shares personal stories and short stories and poems.

Some of what he writes just really sticks. Like this one.

Also, this line from a recent blog entry:

"He loves vagueness in writing, but not in life."

Nothing has ever seemed more true.

I love finding words that I've never before read yet understand completely.

words to save/or

~Live Simply * Love Generously * Care Deeply * Speak Kindly~

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.

On second thought...

This past week, I came to a realization. I don't LIKE my graduate program. Let me tell you, this is a very unsettling thing to realize. I thought about doing this higher education admin program before I even left undergrad, but the thought of my student loans from my out of state tuition gave me good reason to find a job that paid more than $9 an hour. So a few months after graduation, I was hired for my current job. I found out that I could take one class a semester and have it paid for by my current employer? Great, right?

Being a goal-minded person, I looked into the higher education admin program because, well, that's pretty much what I was doing and why the heck not get a master's degree? I applied this past February, was admitted and took my first elective over the summer. It was a tad overwhelming, simply due to the fast paced nature of the summer class and because I was super busy with other things in my life. But I survived, and they didn't kick me out, so I continued this fall.

I realized last week that my loans would not be deferred because I was a student again - shoot! It dawned on me that I was only tolerating the work because it made my budget easier to handle (that happens when you don't have to pay your student loans) and that is probably the WORST reason to be in school. A coworker said she had so much more fun in grad school than as an undergrad. I stared at her in disbelief. Granted, I'm working full-time and doing school part-time, but I don't think grad school is something you do because you "should" but because you "want" to. I also realized, I don't think advising/working at a university is something I'll do forever. I like it now, but I sometimes think I would like to go back to my j-school degree and do the marketing thing. But who knows what will happen. That's the exciting part, right?! I do know, another coworker went through the same grad program and she said it only goes down hill from the class I'm in now. And she completed it full-time, which took 2 years. We both are that rare post-undergrad that ENJOYS working opposed to missing the life of a college student and constant classwork. So, I'm taking her thoughts on the program very seriously. She still feels that, 6 months later, she's recovering from being in the program.

What I really would like to change about my life is the amount of income I have. I don't want to change my job - I genuinely enjoy it and the people I work with. I would like to explore new things and take risks. And if I have 10 hours a week to work on a class I don't like, what if I spent that time doing what I enjoy and in which I find value? Life, I think, would be that much greater. There have been people in my life recently who, in the way they act and think about the way they live there life, have influenced the importance I put on how I spend my life. It's a great lesson to learn and to apply in life.

As logical as this grad program is, I just don't think my heart is in it. And I've learned enough in a few years that our time should only be spent with people and doing things that we love. Why would I deny myself that?

Thought for the week:
"God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people you
NEED: To help you, to leave you, to love you and to make you into the person you were meant to be." - unknown

An Award!

Life is a little out of control. But I'm living it and loving it. But I would like to do a better job at sharing and expressing what's going on in my life. That being said, I received my first blogging award over TWO months ago and I have yet to pass it on. A true blog fail, indeed. So, I'm rededicating myself to sharing my life with all the people who read this. All 6 of you!


Rebecca, from Living a Life of Writing, had bestowed upon me the Superior Scribbler Award. That in itself is exciting but let me tell you, I am in some impressive company! I'm a fan of this description of the award: What is a Superior Scribbler? One who employs mad skillz to communicate in this crazy, crazy world. Who pontificates, explains, memorializes & entertains. Who has a funny bone & is not afraid to use it. Whose cyber-crib we return to again & again, because it just feels right.
The Super Scribbler

1. Each Superior Scribbler, must in turn, pass the Award on to 5 most-deserving bloggy buds.

2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author and name of the blog from whom he/she has received the Award.

3. Each Superior Scribbler must display the Award on his/her blog and link to this post which explains the Award.

4. Each blogger who wins the Award must visit this post and add his or her name to the Mr. Linky List at the Scholastic-Scribe's blog. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who wins this prestigious Award!

5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

Here are my Superior Scribblers:

1. Carolina Girl... because, even though we've never met, I'm pretty sure it would be great fun to have drinks with her!

2. Lauren Nicole Love... because Lauren created the fabulous image that I used in my blog header (thanks AGAIN by the way!) And she posts lots of pretty pictures and words and things. :)

3. Yellaphant... just because Bridget has no filter and it's fantastic.

4. Around the Way Girl (or Girl From Around the Way...? blogging issues, yuck!) Anna covers books and fashion and pretty pictures. It's great fun!

5. Places With Character Duta chronicles the interesting places she's been and her life in Israel. I love learning about different places.

yeah, we're gonna let it slide

my absolute favorite songs. (i will probably continue to add to this list... and make a killer playlist)

slide - goo goo dolls (all time favorite EVER)*
wedding day - rosie thomas
hey there delilah - plain white t's
she ain't right - lee brice
wasted - carrie underwood
best of you - foo fighters*
the luckiest - ben folds
want to - sugarland*
arms of a woman - amos lee
hey jude -beatles*
i need you - tim mcgraw and faith hill
vindicated - dashboard confessional
criminal -fiona apple
unchained melody - elvis
i can't stop lovin' you - keith urban
colorblind - counting crows
wind beneath my wings - bette midler
tiny dancer - elton john (or tony danza.... ha)
cowboy take me away - dixie chicks
wonderwall - oasis*
turn me on - norah jones*
time of my life - green day*
tonight, tonight - smashing pumpkins
landslide - fleetwood mac*
i've got friends in low places - garth brooks
undone (the sweater song) - weezer
georgia on my mind - ray charles
don't stop believin' - journey*
should've been a cowboy - alan jackson*
you give me something - james morrison
dear joan - rob thomas
both sides now - joni mitchell

edited later to add:
mrs. robinson - simon & garfunkel

edited to * top 10 favorites

life

It's hard, this thing called life. It doesn't make sense most of the time. There are fantastic feelings, amazing experiences and incredible people. But it still doesn't make sense. Be warm and happy and enjoying dinner and wine with friends one evening. And in the back of your mind thinking about this new, exciting possibility with someone you're getting to know. And life is good at this moment. Because it's unknown and full of potential. And the next morning. Well, the next morning you read something. And you have no idea what it's about but your project. You project your worst thoughts and fears on this and imagine the worst possibility. Except, even that worst possibility shouldn't have an affect on you. But that small bubble of regret or loathing bubbles up within you and pushes out all the warm and happy feelings you had from the night before. And it seems worse because you don't want this to matter anymore. You don't want to care. But that's why life doesn't make any sense. Because there's always a disconnect between what you think about a situation and what you feel. And it doesn't make any sense. You just have to hope you slowly learn to focus on the warm and positive moments.

sick day

After waking up briefly to call in sick, I stayed in bed until noon.

I watched Milk today for the first time. What an incredible story and movie. Sean Penn's Oscar was certainly well-deserved.

I watched Ms. Pettigrew Lives for A Day. A zany movie, for sure. But also endearing.

Now I'm watching the end of Nights in Rodanthe. Let's just say, I would appreciate a sexy pen pal who says asks things like "Who keeps you safe"? Damn you movies, damn you.

I made some instant potato soup, not really something I would recommend. Though, I may have read the instructions wrong...

I'll probably be in bed by 8. I hate being sick, by sick days are rather amazing.

? of the day, via J. Mraz

http://twitter.com/jason_mraz/status/5236198545

Thoughts on getting (flu) vaccinated

I'm a generally healthy person. I usually get sick once a year for a couple days and, if anything, under medicate myself in the process. Thanks to a roommate a couple years ago, I'm better about taking medicine (it helps!) but I'm not so quick to turn to nyquill, etc.

I'm sure I've had the flu, but I've never (in my memory - help mom!) had a flu shot. The flu, if you have been living under a rock *ahem* I mean if you have not been paying attention, is kind of a big deal this year. For the next 2 weeks, I am still in one of the "priority groups" and am eligible for the H1N1 vaccination. Children and young adults, 24 and under, in addition to pregnant women are encouraged to get the shot.

So, I should definitely get one, right? I do not know.

There has been a lot of discussion in my workplace about getting the vaccination. There are 2 of us in the priority group for the vaccine and there are a couple people encouraging us to get it. They believe we should get get the shot so we don't bring the virus to people in the office who are not yet eligible for the vaccine when we ourselves could have been vaccinated and prevented it from spreading. Logical, yes?

I DO work with a lot of students in their early twenties who are more able to spread the virus like wildfire (ie dorms, apartments, etc).

BUT, if there are limited vaccines available, shouldn't it go to someone who is more at risk for complication to occur if they were to contract the virus?

ignoring perfection

"You have a yearning for perfection"

Thank you, fortune cookie fortune for telling me what I already know.

But it knowing that and accepting that as a flaw in one's own character, seemingly, I have gotten past perfection?

Past everything working out just the way I want (and imagine) it to be.

Because I don't know what will happen.

I'll just have today and tomorrow to work at it and make the decisions that are mine.

And the mistakes that are mine.

Things I Like

"Should've Been a Cowboy" by Alan Jackson (favorite country song ever)

Music that puts me in a good mood (Single Ladies and Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy)

Flash Mobs (see below)

Sending emails to friends KNOWING it will make them laugh

Most of my coworkers (seriously, they're awesome people)

Being challenged at work (I'm putting a positive spin on things today)

Coffee dates

Talking about weddings (it's an addiction)

Finding out new things about myself with a little help from my friends

Cranberry Facts (ex. did you know when they harvest cranberries from a bog, they flood the field and scoop the cranberries that rise to the top?! And another one: people with darker skin develop frostbite more easily)

Knowing what's right and what's easy and doing the right thing even if you have to tell a friend "no" (How's that for cryptic!? ha)

and last, but certainly not least: FRIDAYS

flashmob AND Single Ladies, all rolled into one:

October goal

"My goal this month is to tell it how it is. No BS. No sugar-coating. I will not hold back because it makes anyone feel better or because I'm worried about what they'll think of me. I feel better already." (Yesterday's facebook status.)

I don't tell people how I feel. I act on it. Which, strangely enough, isn't as productive. I get this from my father (which is probably why neither of us has attempted to talk about our issues) but I know this isn't healthy. Makes me anxious and scatterbrained and uptight. Just by making this a goal, I'm going to feel better. I'll apologize when I need to and ask for apologies when they're deserved

I'm going to talk to my dad, not shy away from saying what I feel about a hurtful situation and tell a guy (the only one with any potential right now) that I think it sucks he lives 2 1/2 hours away.

Because, if I want things a certain way, I have to give it the chance to make it happen.

What my Dad's missed...

or, the past 6 months of my life. I haven't talked to my Dad since the end of March. The brief argument was silly but because of the challenges/issues we've had my whole life it's not something I'm going to let go of until we've figured it out and neither of us have attempted communication since then. I need to tell him how he's hurt me and how he's disappointed me. And then I'll tell him about my six extraordinarily, ridiculous 6 months:

I was in my first wedding. I went to two more weddings. I planned and was maid of honor for another wedding.

I moved twice. Once into a home of someone I barely knew. It worked out well.
It was an amazing and challenging summer, all at the same time. This summer gave me a different perspective on marriage, on kids, on life. Gave me the adult/parent version. I've shifted away from being the kid and shifted to being the adult.

I have an awesome new group of people I call friends here in the small city in which I live. I wouldn't have thought it to be such an important thing, but it has been. I needed the grown-up friends. Not just the people I still know from college. But I've also come to appreciate my friends from high school and college so much more. They know who I was at 15, at 18, at 22, at 24 (and it's surprisingly different And, sometimes, they know exactly what to say.

I dated someone who was actually closer in age to my dad than me. (I won't tell either of them that. Though, I may be tempted if either happens to piss me off anymore...) We ended up not knowing each other very well yet, or maybe because of, the way he ended it hurt. Actually, it made it ten times worse. (Let's just say I don't like things to be ambiguous. I'm big on honesty and knowing what the heck is going on.)

I was admitted to a graduate program. I completed my first class over the summer, despite all the drama listed above. I started my 2nd class. I realized, despite being almost 25, I am VERY different from 22-year olds, fresh out of their undergraduate experience.

A moved in with a complete stranger and it has turned out phenomenally well. I've had good/bad roommate situations, but this one is the most surprising.

I've been on the hunt for the perfect dog. Sammie should be joining the family next week!

I'll tell my Dad some of this, he doesn't need to know it all. It's been six months? Wow, life is moving fast.

*blogger only lets you use 10 tags. So in addition: weekend, women, men, puppy, harry potter, kansas, lawrence, hope, learning.... because life is full of everything.

even angels fall

You laugh, you cry, no one knows why
Behold the thrill of it all...
You're on the ride
You might as well
Open your eyes

You will fly and you will crawl;
God knows even angels fall.
No such thing as you lost it all.
God knows even angels fall.
Even angels fall
_________

I didn't win the lottery over the weekend. Not that winning would have solved my pressing problems this week, but it certainly would have lifted my spirits!

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it

Maybe This Time from Cabaret

Maybe this time, I'll be lucky
Maybe this time, he'll stay
Maybe this time
For the first time
Love won't hurry away

He will hold me fast
I'll be home at last
Not a loser anymore
Like the last time
And the time before

Everybody loves a winner
So nobody loved me;
'Lady Peaceful,' 'Lady Happy,'
That's what I long to be
All the odds are in my favor
Something's bound to begin
It's got to happen, happen sometime
Maybe this time I'll win

Everybody loves a winner
So nobody loved me;
'Lady Peaceful,' 'Lady Happy,'
That's what I long to be
All the odds are in my favor
Something's bound to begin
It's got to happen, happen sometime
Maybe this time
Maybe this time I'll win

Glee, not for everyone

Glee is a new, hilarious show on Fox. I just saw it described in a CNN article as a "musical comedy". I love that. It's also rather satirical.

I was rather bemused by this comment after the article by a reader:
"I got 10 minutes into the show and turned it off after hearing one of the "faculty" call a handicapped character a "cripple." Way to go, Fox.
I honestly hope this show fails because it's toxic. "

I don't remember this line, but I'm pretty sure it's the crazy tall blond lady who coaches the cheerleaders and she's supposed to be an awful, spiteful, ridiculous person.

To this commenter: It's called CONTEXT, buddy, GET SOME!

Bliss

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Michael Emerson won THE EMMY!

That is all.

who you are

No matter how things end up and what happens to you or around you that you cannot control, if you speak and act honestly, in any situation, the easier it is to accept what has happened. Because, in the end, you can at least say you did what you thought was right and true, in your heart and in your mind. And why would you ever regret being honest about who you are and acting accordingly?

edited to add: Watching V for Vendetta with my roommate tonight. This, particularly, seemed appropriate for this blog post. From Valerie's story:

"But I'd only told them the truth. Was that so selfish? Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us. But within that inch we are free... for three years I had roses and apologized to no one... Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch, but one. An inch. It is small and it is fragile and it is the only thing in the world worth having.
We must never lose it or give it away."

Too much television? nah.

For the first time in my life, I have a DVR. I'm ecstatic.
Glee is incredible. And I'm excited for a fall season of So You Think You Can Dance. (I missed most of the summer season because my sched was carazzzzzy.)
Gossip Girls is reliably ridiculous but I'll keep watching. I don't think I'll be able to stomach Melrose Place, but I WILL keep tabs on Gawker's hilarious recaps.
I am loyal to Grey's (most of the time) but Thursday is confusing the hell out of me. Flash Forward and Vampire Diaries at 7pm, Grey's at 8pm and 30 Rock at 830, Project Runway and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 9pm. Can I record it all?!
House will be fantastic and, speaking of, my favorite "I'mma Let You Finish" (Kanye's bastardness really did give us the best internet trend of the year... AFTER Twitter of course :)
And to round out my FIFTEEN shows I'm recording: The Daily Show (because Jon Stewart GETS IT), How I Met Your Mother (always hilarious), NCIS (FABULOUS characters), Flash Forward (because it LOOKS SO COOL), The Good Wife (because I like watching Julianna Marguiles slap Chris Noth), Eastwick (witches! yay!) and Castle (Nathan Fillion is deliciously delightful!)

Hi, my name is Bailey, I'm a tv addict.

Landslide and the Weekend

I'm kind of horrible with music. I LOVE it, but I'm not good at identifying bands or songs. Some bands, like Smashing Pumpkins, are a little bit more identifiable for me. So, I had the radio on after class tonight and was 90% sure I was listening to a SP song. And I recognized the song - I even knew the lyrics! But it wasn't connecting. And I figured out it was a cover of a song - it was "Landslide", originally by Fleetwood Mac (Dixie Chicks also did a popular version). I have since listened to all 3 versions on youtube (and read that Stevie Nicks wrote the song when she was like 23) but cannot figure out which version is THE BEST. I know the original should ALWAYS be considered the best, but Smashing Pumpkins and Dixie Chicks recorded some killer (albeit very different) versions. THOUGHTS?! (I may also be in the process of adding this song to my top 5 favorite songs of all times. This may sound official, but it's a floating list in my head. It will never be set!)

My list this weekend:
Friday happy hour with my coworkers
A movie with my roommate who is FINALLY back as of tomorrow (She was kind of on tour, an orchestra tour. She's a brilliant percussionist)
A college football game
The KC Renaissance Festival
Finalizing a topic for my class case study midterm
Finishing unpacking boxes from the move (ha, this has been on the list for WEEKS!)

friendship = bear stand tables

One of my best friends (I have several who are all extremely fabulous and cool, I know you're jealous), Ashlee, and I looooove to spend our "free" time looking for pets, furniture and other fun things on Craigslist.

Our gchat from today (we were looking for a headboard for me to recover as a DIY):
Ashlee: Because we all need more reasons to troll Craigslist (I'm addicted)

me: me too

Ashlee: the pets section will be my undoing

Sent at 2:24 PM on Wednesday

Ashlee: i'm getting you this for your birthday.. heeeeee http://stlouis.craigslist.org/fuo/1377585000.html

See below for visual...

My awesome present? This:



I have the most awesome best friends in the WORLD.

Edited to add THIS as a bonus gift for the kitchen:



Klassy (as Ashlee would say).

The Good Girl

Found a post about the book "The Curse of the Good Girl" on The Scholastic Scribe's blog.
An excerpt from the book:
"Taught to value niceness over honesty, perfection over growth, and modesty over authentic self expression," Simmons says, "girls are locked into a battle with a version of themselves they can never attain. Their internal resources are drained by the energy and ruthless self-evaluation required to live up to this impossible set of personal standards."

I hate being wrong. I hate doing the wrong thing and sometimes I hate the way I act. Simply, because, I am The Good Girl.

Sometimes, I've wondered if I've been selfish in the way I've acted over the past few years. But I've really just been pushing myself to attain an "impossible set of personal standards". And I have to wonder if personal relationships have lacked because of this. Completely opening myself up to someone means they know my flaws and my inadequacies. A handful of people do know my weaknesses but I know they love me anyway. We've talked about them. Talked about my other relationships and how I behave because of what I've experienced in my life. This is actually quite comforting. I guess expressing yourself honestly usually is. But making the conscious effort to reveal yourself that way? Just another opportunity for failure. An opportunity for people to see you as you ARE, not how you WANT to be. Mistakes are okay, they are a part of life. I know this. I just cannot quite make myself comfortable with making them.

"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes." Oscar Wilde



And lyrics that, for today, say exactly what I feel.

"Somewhere along the line I must've gone off track with you
Excuse me, think I've mistaken you for somebody else
Somebody who gave a damn,
Somebody more like myself"

Foolish Games by Jewel

what needs to be done

I think I would feel better if I just got sick. Get rid of all the bad, poisonous feelings you've given me. I think that would be more useful and swift then screaming or crying about it.


I didn't want to be that girl.


I'm too classy to make a scene. Too classy to make a scene in the middle of everything. That's what you deserve, to feel the embarrassment I do over what you did and what you didn't do. How you treated me. But I'm too classy to do that.


One day I will tell you to your face. And make you wish you had shown some respect for me. I didn't deserve that and you WILL be sorry for it.

Where We've Gone

I'm not sure how long it will take before I don't shed a tear on this day. I didn't know anyone in a building or on a plane but my show of human compassion does not stop with strangers.

Besides remembering all those we lost, it's also a day of reflection for what has changed and the effects that day has had; the whole country or personally, what we can acknowledge and what have not realized. The people who I spent my time with then, I no longer see or talk to every day. The majority of people I spend my time with now, I did not know then. They were in different cities and at different points in their lives, as was I.

I wonder every year, on this day, how my life's path has changed because of the events of Sept 11, 2001. What within me changed? My perspective, my goals, my values? Does my desire to do something important and meaningful in my life come from the shock and repercussions of that day? The world is a fragile, imperfect place - what can we do to make it better?

All of those things, I think, changed but I'll never know. Because we will never know what life would have been like if it all had never happened.

Reason for the tears

Fried Green Tomatoes
"I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends."
"A heart can be broken, but it will keep beating just the same."

Love Actually
When Emma Thompson's character cries
The airport montage at the end

Garden State
The end, in the airport. (Apparently, really emotional things happen in the airport...)

"My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw

When I feel helpless or stupid.

Hallmark commercials.

When my sister is upset.

When my family makes me mad.

Shuffle and Etsy and Christmas!

Fist, because I'm in a shuffle mood, the first 10 songs on my iPod today:
Middle of Nowhere by Hot Hot Heat
Paperback Writer by The Beatles
Want To by Sugarland
Chapter 26J The Second Task, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The River is Wild by The Killers
Track 8 of some Jimmy Buffett album (I keep my iTunes immaculate, no?)
Secrets That We Keep by Sara Evans
Can I Stay (live) by Ray LaMontagne
Restless by Alison Kraus & Union Station
For Emily, Wherever I may Find Her (live) by Simon & Garfunkel

Loving Etsy right now. Lawrence is having an Arts Fest a week from Sunday and I plan to officially kick of the Christmas gift purchasing season, including visiting Hmmm... by Melanie who lives in Lawrence and makes FABULOUS purses! (Excited to do this so soon as previous years I've waited until I've been done with classes...ie TWO weeks before Christmas. Stresses. Me. Out.)
Then, I fully plan to go crazy with the online shopping. As much as I love Target, I am on a mission to find more unique gifts. I was thinking about splurging on some fabulous handpainted glasses by marywibis for my mom and sister; then I remembered that any given weekend that I am home, they break, on average, two glasses. Each.

Expectations

Meeting new people is always interesting. Sometimes you spend time with new people and you think "wow, they are awesome". Or you move in with someone you've never met before and it turns out (one month in) to fit really well. Or you date someone you've known for a few months and are surprised, when the time is right, how attracted you are to them when you'd never even thought about kissing them before.

Then there's online dating and dating in general. You are contacting someone and spending time with someone in the hopes of (eventual) love or sex or marriage. Going in with expectations is tricky. You expect (or hope) it to go a certain way and it probably won't.

And then you get aggravated and post a Facebook status like this:

The gap between expectations and reality is unfortunately large. This, boys and girls, is called disappointment.

(Sarcasm, bitterness and surprising insight, all rolled into one.)

Just another thing to approach in life with an open mind. Who knows where it'll lead you?

Kelly

I got to see Kelly Clarkson this past Saturday and, thankfully, someone there put videos on youtube...

Kelly singing "Walking After Midnight"...amazing. (Obviously, this video isn't the greatest sound quality so it was MUCH BETTER live.)



"Cry", an absolutely heart-breaking song, love it (This video probably has the best sound quality.)


And, the encore.... "My Life Would Suck Without You" is amazingly more upbeat live, you can't help but jump and pump your fists in the air!


"Behind These Hazel Eyes", first time singing this song acoustically, an audience sing-a-long, obviously!

say what?

I wish you could just choose who and what to stop caring about. But after awhile, you're just emotionally invested and you cannot. In that case, if you cannot, revert to passive aggressiveness. It's the mature decision.





from lauren nicole, who is fabulous.

dude, I share your sentiments

from this flickr site

As if I didn't love Kings of Leon enough...

...they go and make a video like this. Beautiful.

Kings Of Leon - New Music - More Music Videos

Caleb Followill has a voice like sex. Loves.

you must fall in love 3 times

“Before you can grow up, you must fall in love 3 times. Once you must fall in love with your best friend, ruining your friendship forever. This will teach you who your true friends are, and the fine line between friendship and more.

Once you must fall in love with someone you believe to be perfect. You will learn that no one is perfect, and that you should never be treated as any less than you deserve. And once you must fall in love with someone that is exactly like you. This will teach you about who you are, and who you want to be.And when you’re through with all that, you learn that the people who care about you the most are the ones that you hurt, and the ones that hurt you are the ones that you needed the most.

But most of all, you learn that love is only a concept and is not something that can be defined, it is different to each person that experiences it. And you will learn to respect each and every person on this earth, knowing that everyone only wants to be loved.”

— Unknown

(via mcompton)

language and soul

"Women speak two languages.
One of them is verbal."
-William Shakespeare

"You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”
-C.S. Lewis

"'Twas not my lips you kissed
But my soul"
-Judy Garland

Photograph from my favorite new etsy shop by Tim Irving.

Questions

Where's the line between having hope and being delusional?

What's the difference between he's just not that into you and actually having too much work to do?

Where do you differentiate between lazy and taking the time to relax (especially in regards to unpacking...)?

Do you ask the question even if you're afraid of the answer? Even if not knowing is driving you insane?

When does "standing your grand" become too stubborn (and childish)?

Why is it easier to ask an unending amount of questions than finding the answers?

Edited to add: What's the difference in being the headstrong, independent woman who won't give up and being "that crazy chick" who doesn't have and won't take a clue. (I'd like to think my self-preservation instincts allow me to be the former... because I'd also like to think my levels of common sense won't allow me to be the latter. *crosses fingers*

From xkcd.com, obviously.

My twittascope for July 26...
You aren't afraid to tell someone how you feel, but surprisingly you might be a lot more flexible today than you appear to others. You don't want to come across as wishy-washy, so you'll choose sides and then remain loyal to whatever you pick. It doesn't really matter if you are right; what matters now is that you're following your bliss.

I guess they read my blog. Done and done.

Things I like about coffee...

I love coffee.



And I expect these are good reasons to like someone, too. :)
From le love.

A quote kind of day

"If you want him to fall head over heels, give him something to trip over."

-Unknown

Image from Wooster Collective.

sometimes, unexpectedly lovely

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4 and write down what it says.

"last blossoms from the pot marigolds and asters all around"

-The Birth House, Ami McKay

What just happened?

Wow, the last 3 months of my life have been an absolute whirlwind. I've (almost) survived my first real wedding season (one of many to come, I know), I started grad school and will most likely pass my summer course, I somehow navigated and planned a tricky living/moving situation and I am making the most of a somewhat interesting (yet, totally exciting) dating situation.

I am overly-sensitive, obsessive and barely hanging on but am loving 97% of every moment. The three percent is me clinging too much to the negative/unknown and me working to get out of that low-point on the emotional roller coaster of life. Because it can be negative and it's all unknown and you can never change that.

I've had a wonderful time with old friends, new friends and the meeting of the two. I've gone to a Kansas City T-Bones game for the first time, drank too much on a Wednesday night (at least two or three times), danced like a fool (at three different weddings) and have decided I'm eloping when I decide to get married.

Currently, I'm avoiding writing my paper for class by thinking about what a bad idea summer school is and trading flirty glances with the guy working at the coffee shop.

I'm feeling better than I was earlier this afternoon when I was upset about a not-so-nice person and when I was contemplating what it takes to make a marriage work. Not an easy part of life, for sure. But, what is easy? And at what point is it all worth the effort and challenge?

I am loving all the great blogs that I follow (even though my google reader is horribly full!) I especially love when they do giveaways ala Mrs. Newlywed. (Quick, current giveaway ends Tuesday!)

Life in my house

Live in my house, I’ll be your shelter. Just pay pay me back with one thousand kisses. Be my lover and I’ll cover you. Open your door; I’ll be your tenant. Don’t got much baggage to lay at your feet, but sweet kisses I’ve got to spare. I’ll be there and I’ll cover you. Just slip me on; I’ll be your blanket. Wherever, whatever, I’ll be your coat. You’ll be my King, and I’ll be your castle. All my life I’ve longed to discover something as true as this is. So with a thousand sweet kisses, I’ll cover you. If you’re cold and you’re lonely, I’ll cover you. When you’re worn out and tired, I’ll cover you. When your heart has expired, oh lover, I’ll cover you.

— Rent


from lelove

Why we're friends

I have awesome and hilarious friends. And sometimes, they say things, and I remember why I love them. Maybe this is one of those "had to be there" moments, but it's my blog, so I'm sharing.

On the phone with a friend and she says:

So, this boy came in the office the other day and I was like, "whoa I hope he flirts with me!" and that was the end of that story.

my movie persona

Well, that's it. I've decided. If my ridiculous (romantic) life was reflected in one story line, it would be Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. I've never read the book (I have heard it is not Jane Austen's best) but the movie is delightful (and star-studded - but that is another post!)

The gray area. The unclear signals. The awkward expectations. The unknown feelings. The constant doubt. What's he REALLY thinking?

*sigh* I wish this were easier. Right, like that's going to happen.

So, my plan now is to take my friend Megan's advice. She didn't even have to give it this time, I just knew this is what she would say: "Just make out with him!"

Well, ok.

edit: as I was looking for a lovely photograph to accompany this post, I found a quiz: Which Jane Austen character are you? Apparently, it thinks I'm Marianne Dashwood.

Take the Quiz here!

I changed a couple answers to questions I was on the line about and got Elinor.

Take the Quiz here!

Favorite quotes, lyrics from this week

From Australia (which is an epically, beautiful movie that I WISH I could have seen in theatres):
"Just because it is, doesn't mean it should be."

James Otto's new song, Since You Brought it Up



You call me up, the conversation goes, in the usual way,
Oh what ya doin’, a whole lot of nothin’,
Oh it’s been a long, long day.
And then you mention,
You got this bottle of wine
You’ve been saving’ for a while
Ya it’s just waitin’ to be opened
I can only almost hear you smile.

Chorus
Since you brought it up, why don’t you bring it over,
I’d love to see you standin’ in my door,
Your auburn hair fallin’ on your shoulders,
Come on baby are you waiting for ,
You got the wine, I’ve got all night,
We’re only getting’ older,
Since you brought it up, why don’t you bring it over?

(um, totally sexy, no?)


And a song courtesy of Pandora, by Michelle Branch, Something to Sleep To:
She's his yellow brick road
Leading him on
And letting him go as far
as she lets him go
Going down to nowhere

In my mind
Everything we did was right
Open your eyes, I'll still be by your side
How could I ever have been so blind?
You give me something to sleep to
at night

K-10 chasing the sunset

The best reason of all to a have a camera phone.



Because you never know when the beauty of the place you live will take your breath away.

A perfect end to a lovely dinner with an old friend.

"a man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."
-Charles Darwin

It was good because it was SO ridiculous!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is the ultimate movie about things high school students cannot really do. But do you hate it for that? No, you embrace it because you WISH you could have done that in high school!

Recently, I stumbled upon Ultra-Condensed movies which gives hilarious summaries of movies. Like, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. If you've seen the movie, you must read the review. Because it's awesome. And true.

Differing Views

Not a happy post, but read this first: Tiller Shot to death at Wichita church

A rather controversial Wichita, Kansas doctor, George Tiller, was shot to death this morning. He was most likely targeted because of his abortion practices that have been a source of news in the past years.

I cannot identify with either side of the pro-life/pro-choice debate. Personally, I could never go through with an abortion but I know that's MY belief and my choice. But I also know there are exceptions I completely understand.

I live in a liberal college town in one of the most conservative states in the country. Suffice to say, I know a lot of interesting people with varied backgrounds and beliefs. I have a good friend whose number one political issue is abortion. He votes based on someone's abortion views. This is so bothersome to me because of all the issues to be your number one priority - this is one that will least affect him, no matter WHAT the law is. If my friend believes in his heart of hearts that abortion is wrong, then he does not need to choose to do that. So, why does he believe his belief should be the belief of everyone else?

There are a lot of words on comment boards and twitter right now about this: martyr, pro-life, pro-choice, targeted, assassinated, activists, advocates, anti-abortion, liberals, wingnuts, extremists. No matter what you want to call the incident or the argument or the people involved, this will likely stir the abortion debate pot; and this debate, no matter how much it is discussed, will NEVER be resolved with a compromise. The only thing we can hope for is an agreement to disagree and to understand that as much as you 100% believe in something, someone else can believe 100% in the very opposite.

In time, the younger generations will be in charge

My 9 year old explaining to a table full of adults why gays should be able to marry: "Love. That's why."

-A most insightful and hopeful comment found via twitter. I retweeted, obviously.

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.