Fugitive Firefly

Good things be a happening

2011-10-07T10:00:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know it's been awhile. All that you really need to know though is that I started a new job as a habilitation specialist. So, some awesome things that happened this week...

- I learned that my superiors love me, including the founder of this small little company.
- The founder even said that my DPNs are great.
- I just secured more regular hours. <-- That's music to a broke girl's ears, lemme tell you!
- Someone made a bulk purchase from my online store. <-- That is also music to a broke girl's ears.
- A friend bought me Pizza Hut breadsticks. Do you know how wonderfully delicious those things are?
- The Hanson concert is now less than a week away!

And did I mention that it's finally autumn? Slan summer, you will not be missed! =D

That's all I have for now. What about you? What were some awesome things that happened this week?

Just thinking aloud..

2011-07-20T23:46:00.000-04:00

It's a weird thing, how friendships happen.

He loves the heat.
I hate the heat.
He hates the cold.
I love the cold.
He loves bass.
I prefer acoustic.
He's obsessed with cars.
I couldn't care less about them.
He's loud.
I'm quiet.
He's a teenager.
I'm a 20-something.

This list could stretch significantly longer, but I think you get the picture. We're quite different. But despite these contrasts we still get along pretty well.

It's a weird thing, how friendships happen.

He kept hanging out with me and my family and over time, the kid just sorta grew on me. He's like the little brother I never had. We may annoy the crap out of each other from time to time, but at the end of the day we know we can count on one other.

NashCon 2011

2011-06-12T16:55:00.001-04:00

So I've been MIA...again. My apologies to those who still read this thing. But at least I return with a bit of awesome news..

I got to meet Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins!

Last weekend I attended NashCon, a Supernatural convention in Nashville, and it was the most fun I have had in a long time. I had my photo taken with the three men listed above and I also got their autographs. During NashCon I also met and received autographs from Richard Speight, Matt Cohen, Brock Kelly, and Corin "Corcky" Nemec. All of the actors are incredibly nice and have a great sense of humor; I promise that you will not stop laughing if any of these men have the mic!

Last but certainly not least, Jason Manns gave a free concert as a part of the convention. And oh my goodness...his voice will melt your heart! If you ever have the chance to attend a Supernatural convention or see Jason in concert, do it! You won't be disappointed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Follow the Supernatural guys on Twitter!:
Jared - @jarpad
Misha - @mishacollins
Richard - @dicksp8jr
Matt - @mattcohen4real

And the award goes to...

2011-04-21T11:15:00.000-04:00

I would like to thank Aries from http://krazymonkeytale.blogspot.com/ for this award. It made my day so much better knowing that someone out there enjoys reading my posts :) So without further ado, here are seven facts about me:

1) I have a passionate dislike for Harry Potter.

2) I actually like Twilight. Don't judge me.

3) Autumn is my favorite season.

4) I'm a~~n extra~~ background artist for this movie.

5) I'm a part of Hanson's street team. Because I'm just that cool.

6) My television is on for maybe three hours a week.Never more than that.

7) This summer I get to meet Misha Collins, Jared Padalecki, AND Jensen Ackles!

Now, I would like to pass this award on to the following bloggers:

1) Le Chef at http://lafindumondfarm.blogspot.com

2) Ella Unread at http://pretendyoudontreadme.blogspot.com

3) Anna at http://annainspired.blogspot.com

4) G-Zell at http://stay-at-homemomwhoknew.blogspot.com

5) cfoxes33 at http://cfoxes33.blogspot.com

Thanks again to Aries for giving me this award!

This message brought to you by Amber's Feet...and Amber

2011-04-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

I love being naked. I really do. It's a great feeling to have true contact with the world around you, hence why I was excited when Amber learned that today is One Day Without Shoes. Today I would see the world...feel the earth for the first time in months. She grabbed her mother's birthday card and off we went.

The door shut behind us as I landed on the sidewalk. Oh...my...goodness! It was positively freezing out there! Rain splashed up around me, contributing to the ice-cold burn. (I didn't even know it was possible for cold to burn. Did you?).

Step.
Step.
Squish.
Oh yuck! I sure hoped that she planned to wash that off of me.

Step.
Step.
Hop.
SPLASH.
I was cold. I was wet. And I was in pain. Then something else grabbed my attention. "Look!" I called out. "You see that, Amber? Those feet ahead of us are dressed in cozy boots. Couldn't you have done that for me? I would have settled for flip flops so long as I didn't have to touch this horrible ground." But she didn't hear me. The whole trip was maybe 100 feet, but it was the longest journey of my life! Forget what I said about being naked...it's not very fun.

* * *

Can you imagine what it would be like to not have shoes? I can't. Twice I have taken the walk barefoot and today I attempted One Day Without Shoes. Nothing feels better than putting on your shoes afterwards. If you don't believe me, walk barefoot down your own street. Is this something that you would do again by choice? Probably not. There are, however, millions of children who do not have that choice- they must go barefoot. But purchasing a pair of shoes will allow someone to have a pair of their own.

This just in!

2011-03-20T16:06:00.000-04:00

In the world of emoticons, I am colon capital D

And the best part? There's really no reason why.

I just am.

What emoticon are you right now?

Ten Word Tuesday!

2011-02-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

Hanson's new single! Anyone surprised that I am posting this?

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Mother Nature is a tease

2011-02-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago Mother Nature had shed her winter coat, revealing spring beauty - blue skies, green grass, warmer temperatures. It's a wonderful feeling to go outside with naked arms, but unfortunately the sleeveless-ness weather came to an abrupt end for the ground is white once more.

Punxsutawney Phil, I sure hope you weren't lying about that early spring.

Violins and Lances

2011-02-19T17:40:00.001-05:00

When mom called to ask if I wanted to return south for a week, I was hesitant. There are a number of reasons why I dislike my hometown, hence my lack of eagerness to return. Mom, however, knew this and was prepared. "Barrage is coming to town," she informed me, "and FlaRF starts up the same weekend."

Next thing I knew I was on a plane, leaving my icy driveway behind.

Saturday night was the first time I saw Barrage in about five and a half years. Even though I didn't recognize most of the musicians, it was still the fun, high-energy show that I remembered. But don't just take my word for it; check out the video and see for yourself :)

Most groups will sneak away to a tour bus after a concert, but not these guys. After their two-hour concert they still came outside, wearing smiles, to sign merchandise and answer questions. (My signed copy of Scrapbook has been playing nonstop since then).

The next day was FlaRF (known to many as the Florida Renaissance Festival). After 11 years of attending, it shouldn't be a surprise when I say that the faire has played a huge role in my life. It's where I had my first job. It's where I learned a bunch of tidbits of the time era...like the belief that women only have half a soul. It is where some great friendships had started. And it also helped me to find Barrage. Lost? Let me explain. One of my friends at the faire was ShaeLaurel, a family band who introduced me to the wonderful genres of Irish and Folk music. A band who showed me that violin music can be (GASP) fun! If it hadn't been for them, I probably would have ignored the advertisement for Barrage. The fast fiddlin' and impressive choreography in the commercial reminded me of a ShaeLaurel show... I knew I had to go. The rest is history.

So thank you FlaRF for the work experience, the memories, and for introducing me to great music.

And I guess we'll never know exactly where this river's gonna flow. And I guess we'll never understand till we reach that promised land. - "River" by Hanson

Superbowl Sunday

2011-02-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

GO STEELERS!

Strong Enough To Break

2011-02-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

Been runnin' through my mind today

Scenarios to add to your hypocrisy

No one ever takes the blame

But everyone is searching for a cure to the pain

Nothing ever seems to change

Oh, nothing ever seems to change

We just play like broken records in a deaf man's charade

<3 Strong Enough To Break <3

I wish the real world would just stop hassling me

2011-02-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

My worst nightmare has come true - I am one of those lost college graduates wandering the streets, looking for employment. Looking for...more.

I never thought that I would be one of those people who didn't know what they wanted, who didn't have a plan. After all, I had always known what I wanted and had a plan to achieve to it. As time passed within the university's walls, I became less sure of my goals. Do I really want to go into research? And if so, what field? Trying to make such a decision had put me in a near panic. And then my advisor told me -

"Take a year off. Gain some experience. Grad schools prefer you to do this, anyway."

So that's what I'm doing - taking some time off. Maybe I'll be thankful for this advice later, but right now I hate it. About six weeks of being in the real world , I'm dying to be back in the classroom.

Job-hunting has got to be one of the most discouraging tasks ever. As much as I'd hate to have some crap job, it looks like that's what's going to happen. Because at this point it's all about survival. This, however, doesn't provide any comfort. If anything, I'm more afraid. What if grad schools don't approve of how I spent my time off? I highly doubt that my undergraduate career would impress them. So what then? Would I then do what I least desire and become a psychologist? Great. [No offense to any psychologists, of course. I just really don't want to counsel other people].

Yes I realize I may be overreacting, but can you blame me? My entire future rests on a giant IF. I think I have the right to overreact.

Now excuse me while I go back to the brutal job hunting.

I wonder what it's like to be the head honcho/I wonder what I'd do if they all did just what I said/I'd shout out an order, "I think we're out of this man, get me some." - Real World by Matchbox 20

I got a feeling..

2010-09-30T18:57:00.001-04:00

...that this week will be a great, great week. Three reasons why:

1) A much overdue visit with Barely Balanced.

2) Joseph Gordon-Levitt will be speaking at my school.

3) Scott Westerfeld, one of my favorite authors, will also be making an appearance at my university for book signings, autographs, photos, etc.

If you don't see any more posts from me, it's because I died from overexposure of pure awesomeness :)

Operation Wolf Hunt-- Success!

2010-09-02T16:58:00.000-04:00

Remember when I wrote of Taylor Lautner being in my town and how determined I was to see him before school started? Well the goal was accomplished, just not the way that I had originally planned. Due to recurring chaos at the sets, it became extremely difficult to find the heartthrob. Circumstances demanded a new plan of action-- I became an extra.

Being an extra for this movie was such a great experience! The crew was incredibly nice and treated us well; the stunt doubles mingled with us; and I got paid for staring at Gorgeous ;) If only all jobs were that easy!

Unfortunately, I am under oath and cannot tell you more than what IMDB says. BUT I can confirm that Taylor is gorgeous in person and that he is not a dirt bag or diva. What a relief, too!

Great buy on binders-- just in time for school!

2010-08-10T17:12:00.000-04:00

Are your kids tired of the same generic, boring binders? Then I highly recommend checking out Zazzle's selection. Here you will find affordable, durable, and beautifully designed binders that will be the envy of everyone who sees them. Ordering online will minimize the time you spend fighting the back-to-school crowds, and your order will ship the next day so that your student can be prepared for the first day of class. Below are some of great binders that Zazzle has offer, but I encourage you to shop around to find something that your kid will like.

Tip: Use code BTSRULEAVERY by Friday to receive $8 off all binders.

Wordless Wednesday- Off the beaten path

2010-08-04T16:58:00.000-04:00

Friends of inspiration and motivation

2010-08-02T16:57:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine had a rather productive three days where she put on a live show, wrote a song, finished writing a novel, and learned how to hypnotize a chicken. Her sister must have been equally busy for she just finished writing a symphony.

And this is pretty much what they do year round.

Performing in a band and managing their own website just isn't enough for these two for they always have another project (or three) on top of that. Although I have known them for a few years now, I still can't figure out how they do it. What I do know is that I admire them and all that they do. In times past, they've made me reevaluate my life and realize that I wasn't living up to my dreams.

I had done well to change that, or so I had thought. Learning of their recent accomplishments made me look back over my summer vacation. In the last three months I did little GRE prep, gained three fanclub members of my store, and watched most of the World Cup and X Games. Being someone who is usually active, it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm disgusted with my summer. I've done absolutely nothing and I hate it. There's only four weeks left of break and the lazy days must end now. Thanks girls for giving me a much needed kick in the pants...again!

Beware of the teenyboppers

2010-07-23T18:13:00.003-04:00

Those little devils have made Operation Wolf Hunt extremely difficult.

Source: taylorlautner.org

You see, Taylor Lautner, the werewolf from the Twilight Saga, is filming a new movie near my town. While I’m not a big fan of the 18-year old, I thought it would be fun to try to meet him. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.

The number of pre-/young teens in his fan base is unimaginably high; and while a handful know how to behave, most do not. Running into the street, pestering the security guards, and chanting his name are just the mild stuff. Recently girls have camped out overnight in front of the base camp, screamed at any car that might have Taylor inside, and followed one of his cars. And yet they complain when he doesn’t make an appearance to sign their posters.

Patience is a virtue, and until they learn that it won’t be worth my time to drive out to another set. While Taylor does seem to enjoy the attention, he is not going to step outside if that attention poses a threat to his safety. And, well, who would? Unless they tighten security or the girls grow up, it looks as though my summer goal to get one photo of the guy will go unaccomplished. Now, if I may have one moment of immaturity…

That’s not fair!!

Seriously, why do the bad kids always have to ruin it for everyone else?

Reentry into the blogosphere

2010-07-21T15:50:00.000-04:00

I am so sorry for neglecting you. It wasn't intentional, it's just that the family held me captive much longer than anticipated. You have missed a lot of excitement, too. Like a 14-year old boy hitting on me, me stalking Taylor Lautner, and...that's it. Maybe I'll write more about these guys later, but that's not a promise. Whenever I promise to write something, something comes up and it pulls me away from my beloved computer. I've missed a lot in my time away, including an award from the lovely Miss Liv. (Thanks so much!!) If you haven't checked out her blog, you must do so. Right now. Because her blog really does have substance :)

Now I have to describe my blog in five words and pass this award on to 10 other bloggers. So I would say that my blog is themeless, sarcastic, sometimes antagonistic, and mine. Ten other blogs that have substance are:

Witchie
Rachel Cotterill
Friend Sloane
Anna
Jess
Ashes
Esme
Mr. Monkey
Rhiannon Nicole
Design It Chic

Congrats to you all!

The first week

2010-07-01T14:37:00.000-04:00

My trip to Ireland kicked off with an adventure. Due to massive miscommunication with my abroad program, I flew into Dublin instead of Shannon...with no idea how to get to Galway. Thankfully I met a nice Irish couple who made sure I got on the right bus. After five hours of staring out the window, being nervous about missing my stop, I had finally arrived.

An employee at the bus station armed me with a map and directions to my new home. She said I could take a cab, but since it was "only a 20 minute walk" I declined. I walk longer distances all the time back home, I thought to myself. Surely I can handle this.

But I was wrong.

You see, a map is really only helpful if there are roadsigns to match. And roadsigns in Ireland are few and far between. So, my 20 minute walk turned into 2 hours. Some locals tried to help, but when you've been awake for 30+ hours, not even the best of directions are helpful. In the end, I called a cab.

The next day my roommates and I explored more of the city. We went to Eyre Square, Shop St, the beach, and our host university-- Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh (National University of Ireland, Galway). Beautiful campus, I might add. During that week I learned a great deal about W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory, and visited the beautiful homes they kept. OK, so Yeats lived in a tower that would flood during the winter, but I'd totally live there during the summer ;)

My first week abroad was pretty hectic, but things did not slow down from there. More tales soon to come!

Bloggerstock: The story of what is on your desk

2010-06-30T11:16:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of Bloggerstock, today's guest blogger is Rie. Read on to learn more about her and her take on this month's topic.

Here it is; my initial dalliance into the fun that is "Bloggerstock." An exercise in creating a blog-ring in which each entry included is written on the same topic. This month's topic is: "The Story of what is on your Desk." While I'm posting here, my blog is playing host to an entry from Katie of "Special Snowflakes." Without further ado, onward and upward...

Since I've been using whatever coffee house, cafe, library, or restaurant offers free WiFi for the past year, the "story of what's on my desk" is more accurately the "story of what I've done without a desk."

Just over a year ago, I was a full time graduate student with two part time jobs in two different cities; unsurprisingly, I was also feeling more than a little burned out. I was spending most of my time at my desk in the shared graduate assistant office--a desk that was covered in piles of things I needed to do, an Indiana Jones Mr. Potato Head, some lego creations, the random textbook, my laptop, and a few dozen doodles. Luckily, my time as a graduate student was rapidly approaching its end, and I was already dreaming of backpacking around Australia for a year....without a desk.

I debated for a good 5 minutes as to whether or not I was even going to take my laptop with me because I was worried I'd be annoyed at having to lug it around and anxious that it was safe from my hostel roomies. In the end, I figured I'd rather have it an be annoyed and anxious than not have it and want it, and I think I made the right decision. It's easy enough to find free WiFi now that I probably saved a good amount of money that would have otherwise been spent in internet cafes using their computers; plus, my laptop is pretty light, and even though you're sleeping with strangers in a hostel dorm, you ended up forming a tenuous trusting relationship.

Anyway...like I've previously mentioned, since I didn't travel with a desk, I ended up using whatever was convenient. McDonald's was the easiest, and they have tasty drink called the "Fruit Fizz" that I find delicious. It wasn't uncommon to find me sipping a Fruit Fizz while catching up with my loved ones back home via email anywhere from Sydney to Perth. On the off-chance I couldn't find a McDonald's, I dropped in on wherever else offered free internet. This meant that at any given moment I could be "working" at a small cafe table, a bar, or my lap while sitting on one of those coffeehouse sofas. That said, this wasn't a frequent or regular occurrence, and I loved it. Unlike the previous 2 years spent glued to my computer (and desk), I was finally able to be mostly "unplugged." Did I mention that I was cell phone free as well? It was sort of amazing.

I've just returned home from my wire-free year, and while I'm loving being home, as I keep filling out job applications and planning thesis meetings, I find myself dreading my return to the desk. What's wrong with only sending out the odd email or typing up a blog entry from my lap on a bus? Nothing is the answer, but sadly enough, I'm not sure if it can be my life. While I don't know what I want out of life, or what I want to do with my life, I think for now my life must involve a desk. Hopefully, a desk covered in things that make me happy and remind me of fun.

Big thanks to Rie for writing a lovely post for my blog. If you want to know the story of what's on my desk, head on over to Kris's blog.

On this day...

2010-06-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

On this day three years ago, I was a little freshman attending orientation. While I didn't know what college would have in store, I was excited. After spending 18 years in the same city, it was time for a change. New city, new people, new climate, new everything. Images of a healthy social life and academic success filled my head as I toured the campus. My campus. Now swarms of new students shuffle loudly through the commons room as I sit there trying to prepare for the GRE. A small sigh lets out, but not out of aggravation. Not entirely. The sigh is from the longing to be them again, just for one day. One day of not having to worry about the GRE, grad school, and everything else that comes with post-college life. Lucky freshies.

On this day two years ago...nothing happened. I just didn't want to jump from three years to one.

On this day last year, I arrived in Ireland. It was a country that I'd always dreamed of visiting, and the five weeks I spent there was nothing short of amazing. Now I could tell you about the free U2 concert, pink sheep, and flirting with death, but I have a better idea. Since this blog was rather neglected while abroad, I'll be posting my Ireland adventures at about the same time as they happened last year. Excited? I thought so. Tomorrow, the journey begins.

Feel Good Friday

2010-06-18T21:43:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a long while since I've done one of these posts, but I have been keeping up! Just, you know, writing them in my own journal instead. This week however, was so great that I just had to share it.

I tried to write it out as a list, but somehow a list doesn't do it justice. Basically, I received a lot of love this week. And a lot of new attention. The good kind, I promise. I should have taken the guy's kickball invite. He had an accent...and was pretty hot. But the weather was hot, too, so I declined. Still, the five minute conversation was enough to make my day and was the cherry on top of an awesome week.

What were the great things that happened to you this week?

Gifts for Father's Day

2010-06-16T19:03:00.000-04:00

Father's Day is rapidly approaching. Don't have a gift yet? Don't fret. Just head on over to my other blog for a list of designers and artists who have wonderful, high-quality gifts for your dad. Gifts are often customizable and ready to ship in 24 hours. How great is that? So go ahead, do some online shopping.

Natural Tranquility

2010-06-14T20:16:00.000-04:00

It's disheartening to spend your time reverencing nature and watching the Earth suffocating under tons of concrete while nobody seems to care. - Scott Cunningham

Eleven positions, ninety minutes, minimum protection

2010-06-11T15:57:00.000-04:00

Of course I'm talking about soccer ;)

The sport has been a big part of my life. I played for twelve years, eight of those being in a league. So of course the FIFA World Cup, which started today, is kind of a big deal. You know how numerous American families are during the Superbowl? That's mine during the World Cup. We sport our favorite jerseys, gather in the living room, and shout at the referees and opposing team members.Yeah. We get really into it.

And of course having good-looking men to watch is a bonus.

Yoann Gourcuff: French Midfielder

David Villa: Spain Forward

Arne Friedrich: German Defender

Of course I will be cheering for the USA team, but honestly they are not my favorite. No offense to anyone, but our men's soccer team is weak. Which I guess is to be expected from a country that really isn't into soccer; compared to the rest of the world, anyway.

So instead, the main team I will be rooting for is Germany. They work well together, executing excellent plays, and show no mercy. I love an aggressive match because, to me, that's how the game should be played. Just mow the opposing player over, don't rely on fancy footwork to break the defense. Will you be watching any of the World Cup? If so, who are you cheering for?

Not goo-goo for Gaga

2010-06-09T16:31:00.000-04:00

I don't mind Lady Gaga, really I don't. Sure her videos kinda frighten me, but I will admit that she does have some catchy songs. My problem doesn't lie with Gaga. Not entirely. My problem is with her die-hard fans, aka The Gaga Police. Every time a female artist does something weird, they spam the comment area, exclaiming that she copied Lady Gaga. This is particularly true for Christina's new video, Not Myself Tonight.

If you scan through the comments, you will see one of two replies made by a Gaga fan. One is along the lines of "OMG! She is a total copy cat! Why can't she get her own style?!?" The other common reply is "Gaga is Queen of Pop!" I didn't want to say anything to this, but damn it, I have to write it somewhere.

First of all, female artists have been doing weird long before Stefani Germanotta became Lady Gaga, including Christina Aguilera. Secondly, Christina reinvents herself so that no two albums sound the same. Can you say that about Gaga? Nope, didn't think so. Also, I have to say that "copy" is a bit harsh, regardless of who you're speaking of, for few artists actually copy someone else. Instead they pull inspirations from other artists to try to make something that is their own. That's just how pop music works.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, it takes more than two CDs to be deemed the Queen of Pop. That title still belongs to the one, the only, Madonna. Who, I might add, "inspired" Lady Gaga's newest video/song, Alejandro.

So please, Gaga Police, take your artist off the pedestal already.

You're just yesterday's prize

2010-06-04T16:34:00.000-04:00

There was a time when I wanted you, a time that lasted a lot longer than it should have. A time that should have ceased before now.

I must say that it is quite liberating to have you free from my thoughts, to see your name on my news feed and feel nothing. Not anger, not happiness, not love or hate. Just, nothing. As much as I would have liked another chapter in our book, the tale ends here. That’s the way you wanted it, so that is the way it will be. Maybe someday there will be a sequel, one with a better ending, but I am done entertaining that idea.

I do not miss us. Not anymore. My eyes are on the future now.

The mistakes I've made in this life, I can't say why or when. But the thing that's strange is you only live once, I'll never look back again.

Bloggerstock: What is your theme song?

2010-05-31T13:56:00.000-04:00

Bloggerstock was formed by a small group of bloggers who connected on 20SB. Participants are given a single topic to write about and post on another's blog. The blogs are linked together, essentially forming a blog-ring of related posts.

About our guest blogger, Ella Unread: "Pedestrian between teen years and adulthood... Terribly random and never afraid of showing the way I feel... Willing to be considered the modern Joseph Conrad one day. Not an easy goal, I must admit."

What is your theme song?

I'd have to go and check my iPod in order to answer that question, but first you should know I am one of those freaks that only have like 300 songs...why, you'd ask, if you have so much space? Well, the fact that I have more space left doesn't mean I want to fill it, you packrats!

I don't have a song. There. I said it.
I beat around the bush because I really don't have a particular song that would be mine, that, except for a song that was written for me...I guess that would be my theme song, literally. But let's not get into those dark waters...

I like different songs on different days, though I am always listening to the same playlist over and over again, till I can't stand Basket Case anymore, that's how creepy I am.

There is a song, however, that reminds me of a hard time in my life i.e. last year, it was one of the best years of my life, but I needed some musical therapy in order to put up with it. That's when The All American Rejects came to save me. (I am saying this with all the pain I can find, for I am a Blink 182 + Green Day fan and I should stab myself and practice a harakiri as you read this for being such a traitor).

Anyway, this song lifted me up when I truly though I had run out of strength.

It's so cheesy but effective that it reminds me of myself listening to it, walking at night, trying to pretend everything was OK, trying to hold on...I can still feel the Summer heat become Autumn's breeze through my hair...I can still remember the chills of the end of Autumn and packing my belongings...I remember holding on to the small things and I see myself now... I moved along.

Want to know what my theme song is? Check it out at Just The Ashes.

Lessons from an all-nighter

2010-05-23T13:26:00.001-04:00

Birds start chirping at 3:30AM. Yup. It's true. Those little son-of-a-guns made the night feel that much longer.

More people are on Facebook between 1:00 and 3:00AM. Really? I mean, really? Well now I feel incredibly lame for always being in bed by one o'clock.

If I were to take a taxi from my place to my aunt's, it would cost about thirty bucks.

The site from which I got the above information also gave me three wrong numbers for taxi cab companies.

Abdominal swelling could be a sign of many things including pregnancy, gallbladder disease, hernia, food allergies, gas, as well as about 500 other possibilities.

There are no 24-hour clinics in this city. If I were an animal, that would be a different story. Three 24-hour animal clinics and none for humans... am I the only one who sees something wrong with this?

Pizza fries are a terrible idea. Though I am not one hundred percent sure, there is a good chance that this is what kept me up all night. Next time I go out for half-price, I'm buying dessert.

I hate to say "I told you so."

2010-05-16T16:33:00.001-04:00

Actually, few things are more enjoyable than saying "I told you so" to a wrong individual. This time, however, I'm not too happy that I am right. That my prediction is coming true.

One lazy afternoon a couple years ago, Hannah Montana was on my aunt's TV. I was 19 at the time and wishing that she would stop turning it to Disney Channel every time I walked into the room. But she did (in fact, she still does) and I ended up watching 30 minutes of Miley dragging her friends into trouble as she struggled to maintain her secret identity. At some point during the episode, I had concluded that she would soon ditch the Disneyfied sweet-girl act and for a more mature look. And by "mature" I mean promiscuous. Or, as some would say, Britney-esque.

It seems as though that day has come for Miley. If you haven't seen it yet, here is her new music video.

Sort of says "Eff you, Disney" doesn't it? Welcome, Miley, to the ranks of Britney Spears. Although... the worse that Britney did at your age was bare her midriff. It took Miss Spears 2-3 years before she reached your maturity level, Miley.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on Miley's new single/video?

This just in: Your children aren't that innocent

2010-04-29T23:55:00.001-04:00

That got your attention, didn't it? When I was a young kid, I promised myself that I wouldn't forget what life was like at that age. Now, a 20-something, I had found myself getting into the mindset of "oh, they're just kids! What could they possibly know?"

Well, I hate to break it to ya, but chances are they know a lot. I remember sitting in first grade and the teacher telling us what are spelling words for the week were. One was of them was "six" but a classmate thought she said "sex." Giggles were aplenty, much to the teacher's displeasure. Many of us, myself included, knew what sex was by the age of seven.

Did I mention that this was a private school? I never understood why people are quick to think that these scenarios are unique to public schools. They're definitely not.

How old were you when you had your first crush? I was four and it was the first day of school. While 4-year old boys think girls are gross, girls become less gross by second grade, and by sixth grade both sexes are quite aware of each other. Though my 20-something mind doesn't want to believe it, I do remember that a handful of my classmates had lost their virginity before high school. Don't believe that young adolescents are having sex? You're in denial. Want to completely shelter them from the world so that they don't "grow up too fast?" You're over reacting. First of all, most 12-year olds are not hopping into bed. Obviously. Secondly, being too protective of your child can do more harm than good. But that, my readers, is a blog post for another time.

I don't mean for this to entry to sound harsh, or to offend anyone. I just believe that our idea of "childhood innocence" is slightly off.

Feel Good Friday number..6?

2010-04-23T17:47:00.001-04:00

Awesome things that happened this week:

1. Got a B+ on my physics exam
2. Signed up for Irish 5!
3. I was introduced to Flight of the Conchords. Funny stuff, man. Look 'em up!
4. Classes are officially over-- only three finals left!
5. Sold my books back for a fairly decent price.
6. I am officially a member of Hanson's street team! (That really shouldn't surprise anyone given how much I write about them).

What were the awesomely great things that happened in your week?

Bieber Fever

2010-04-18T20:39:00.000-04:00

Have you seen this kid?

If you haven't then you must have been living under a rock for the last couple of months. This kid is everywhere. And I mean everywhere. His baby face is plastered on every magazine cover imaginable and he's landing TV appearances left and right.

And Bieber is is only 16.

Blogger girl say what?

Yeah, I was shocked too. Seeing pictures of him and listening to his songs, I honestly thought that he was hovering around the age of 13. But 16? My memory may not be the greatest but I know for a fact that my male classmates had undergone puberty by this age and had developed their, uh, manly voices. Bieber must be a late bloomer.

But this post isn't meant to bash the kid. I'm not going to mention that there's a website called lesbians who look like Justin Bieber or that I think the dude is overexposed and really isn't that great of singer. Honestly, I feel for the kid. It must stink to hit on sophisticated older women like Chelsea Handler and have nothing come from it. And to have a fan base that consists solely of young girls between the ages of 6 and 12, with not a teenager in sight? That must really blow.

Don't worry Justin. The 16-year old females will be aplenty once you hit puberty. In the meantime, don't disappoint your young fans. They're the reason that you've been a trending topic on Twitter for the last couple of months.

I predict...

2010-04-16T14:30:00.002-04:00

that this is going to be a great year for Hanson. Seriously, they are all over the internet right now, particular with this release of their newest video, "Thinking 'Bout Something." It' hasn't even been 45 hours since its release and the video has already received over 250,000 views.

And a blog entry from Perez Hilton.

It makes me incredibly happy to see all the positive remarks from old fans, and from old haters turned fan =) Check it out and see for yourself. (Warning: it's infectious!)

Thinking 'Bout Somethin'

HANSON | MySpace Music Videos

What do you think of the video?

Such a drag

2010-04-09T16:46:00.000-04:00

There! Over there! Hurry!

We made a bee line to some of the last empty seats in the room, my friend in the lead and jumping over other empty seats. I must admit, for a girl who isn't very athletic, I was impressed. She snagged the closest three seats available. Sure we would have liked to have been closer to the catwalk, but at least we weren't some of the unfortunate individuals who had to stand. Or sit behind a pole.

Finally, 500+ people had filed in. The doors closed, the lights dimmed, and Taylor Swift entered the stage.

OK, not the real Taylor Swift. It was Dominique impersonating the country artist. She didn't get very far into song before Dylan ran up, chased her off stage, and began playing "F--k the Bullsh--" by 311. Dylan looked like a man. Acted like a man. Even kinda sounded like a man. But this man was, technically, a woman.

Various identities were portrayed that night, proving their point that "gender is an act. It's a verb." In hindsight, that seems rather obvious. Gender is what you associate yourself with, male or female, regardless of the parts you were born with. And of course you're going to act like the gender that you identify with. For most of us, it's easy. Our sex is our gender.

When the two conflict, well...life isn't exactly easy. "What pronoun would you give me?" Dylan asked the audience. Silence. Tricky situation, isn't it?

I tried to put the question to the back of my mind as I watched the other performances. There were several exaggerated outfits, but there were a handful that would make one squint and say "Wait, is that a chick?" I'm not going to lie, some of the guys looked better in dresses than I do! After back handsprings in 3 inch heels, and bagfuls of glitter dumped everywhere, I thought I had seen it all.

Then the show shifted gears.

"Perfect" by Simple Plan came from the speakers as a slide show played in the background. I hadn't been paying too much attention to the pictures till my friend said "aw!" I directed my attention to the slide show, seeing photos of a little girl growing up to be a man. Then it clicked--it was a story of the king being rejected by his father and, ultimately, committing suicide. Seeing my gender queer classmates on stage and having a blast, it's easy to forget that many do lead a difficult life. It's one thing to be rejected by society because of who you are, but rejection by your own parents is something that no one should experience. It's not easy for these guys to be out, but they are. And that, I think, is truly admirable.

Overall, the Rainbow Alliance organized an amazing drag show, maintaining the perfect balance between serious and comedy. Despite the free admission, their two hour show still raised $1400 for the city's AIDS Task Force. If that's not a sign of a job well done, I don't know what is.

Feel Good Friday #5

2010-04-02T12:50:00.003-04:00

For those who are new to my blog, every Friday I post a list of the awesome things that happened during the week. This came about because of the terrible mood I was apparently stuck in. The thing about emotions is that they influence your perception of the world. For instance, if you're in a negative mood, you are more apt to notice other negative objects and events. Further more, what you perceive influences your state of mind, prolonging the experience of the emotion. I didn't want to stay in this crummy mood so "Feel Good Friday" was born. It can be hard, to train your perception of the world, but with a bit of work it can be done. Five weeks into my project and I can definitely feel a difference.

Awesomeness from this week:

1) I had no homework. It felt great but incredibly weird at the same time.
2) I passed an exam I didn't even study for.
3) Evening class was canceled.
4) Presentation was postponed till next Thursday.
5) I woke up 30 minutes late and arrived to class 15 minutes early...twice this week.

And the best part was definitely

The 9th Annual Drag Show

Words just cannot describe its greatness. Pictures may be coming soon ;) So followers, old and new, what were the awesome things that happened in your week?

Paralyzed again, the moment's come and gone

2010-03-30T18:20:00.001-04:00

Say it. Say it. Say. It!

Nothing. Again. He was right there, not even two feet away. No one else was near, so what the hell was your problem? It shouldn't be so difficult to say "Hey, aren't you in Diane's class?" and yet you choke every time. Every. Time. I hate your cowardice. Haven't you realized that it's getting you nowhere?

I'm...sorry?

Sorry isn't going to make things progress. Sorry will make you nothing more than a familiar face. Is that what you want?

No, of course not. It's just that, the situation wasn't quite right. I mean, he was working. Is that really a good time to strike up a conversation?

Now you're making excuses. There's only four weeks left of the term, and one of them is strictly for finals. You're going to have figure something out real soon.

But I-

Oh for Pete's sake. Woman up!

OK, OK, I will. Next time.

Feel Good Friday (number 4)

2010-03-26T21:01:00.000-04:00

"Oh my God, I don't want to be here right now!" I agree with you, Syntax classmate. I don't really want to be here either. "I was up till 1 last night and still didn't get any work done. Rehearsal is every night from 7 til 11. I don't know how I'm going to have time to do anything. And OH MY GOD! This girl next to me in psych. She just reeked of BO and of course just had to sit next to me." Syntax classmate continued talking for another ten minutes. About what though, I'm not really sure. Everything that was coming out of her mouth was just a complaint, like a lot of conversations I overhear. Take a moment and reflect on pieces of conversation you've overheard. Chances are they sound something like this, it being rare to hear "Yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed ____." This is one of the reasons why I started this weekly "feel good" post, so I sound less like some of these people. I was truly ill this week so of course that tainted my view of events as they happened, but thinking back on it, my week really wasn't that bad.

Awesome happenings this week:
1. I've almost completely regained the strength I lost last weekend
2. Four sales were made in the less than 24 hours?!
3. Today's quiz was postponed.
4. I got the go-ahead to graduate in December. Man, that's scary.
5. One of my classes is going to be canceled next week.
6. No Syntax homework this weekend! You have no idea how great that feels.
7. I don't know why but hearing someone say "Ke$ha is Taylor Swift's evil twin" amused me very much.
8. Four days this week have been good hair days. I love this weather!
9. One of my finals was canceled!!
10. I can feel a change a coming. But out of fear of jinxing it, details will not be released just yet ;)

What were the great things that happened in your week?

Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex

2010-03-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

What would happen if two such individuals decided that they wanted to have a baby? It is something that many science fiction enthusiasts have speculated. But something that I never really thought about until we read Larry Niven's article "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex." For those unfamiliar, it explores the possibilities of how Superman can impregnate a female human, more specifically, Lois Lane. You can watch a video of it here.

Warning: There is no nudity or swearing in the video, but due to the topic that is discussed and some of the details used, it may not be suitable for young children. You might want your children removed from the room before watching. Viewer discretion is advised.

Obviously, the two can't get physical because 1) She would be crushed in his arms 2) She'd be ripped from crotch to sternum and 3) Her head would pop off. Niven then discusses the possibilities of artificial insemination, but that too, has an unfortunate ending for fragile Lois. It also suggested that maybe Super Girl could be a surrogate mother, but that would be too inconvenient for her. Larry's conclusion: allow Superman to carry the child.

After the reading, one of my classmates openly admitted to have spent time contemplating a solution. Once conceived, Lois could be placed under a red sunlamp. When exposed to this light, all of the super powers cease to work. Therefore Lois would not have to worry about the baby using its heat vision whilst in the womb, nor would she have to worry about the baby kicking its way out of her stomach.

This proposal annoyed me for two reasons.

First, my classmate was suggesting for Lois to be isolated for nine months, stuck beneath a stupid lamp. Um, excuse me? How about I shove you beneath a lamp, alone, for nine months and see how you like it? Secondly, it fueled a debate amongst the hard-core comic book readers.

My thoughts on the issue:
     - It is absurd to assume that Superman's sperm would have the same powers that he does.
     - Let Superman be the surrogate. When the time comes, you can cut him open with a lightsaber. That should be strong enough to cut through the kryptonian skin.
     - The article was written for entertainment, and to inspire creative thinking. It should not be taken seriously because Kryptonians do not exist. All that we can do is speculate based on what we know about Superman.

So how about we leave Miss Lane alone and let her have a human husband?

Because I write too much...Ten Word Tuesday

2010-03-23T21:52:00.000-04:00

He was caught staring, and didn't try to hide it. ;)

The Sunshine Award

2010-03-22T20:18:00.000-04:00

I would like to thank Aries for this wonderful award :)

Now, as with any award, there are rules that must followed.
1) Post the logo within your blog or post
2) Pass the award onto 12 fellow bloggers
3) Link the nominees within your post
4) Let the nominees know they have received an award by commenting on their blog'
5) Share the love and link to the person whom you received this award from.

My 12 bloggers:

B Sparkly
Blackberry Jam Cafe
Krystal's Kitsch
Life On Sunshine Street
Mad Boastings of a Cheapskate Mom
Mamma Kerr
Mass Hole Mommy
My Kids Are Fun
Riding the Roller Coaster
Stay @ Home Mom Who Knew!
Textual Times
The Snyder 5

Feel Good Friday

2010-03-19T00:29:00.001-04:00

It is so easy to get caught up in the things that bring you down, that you don't notice that good things that happen in your life. If there's one thing I've learned in my short life, it's that nothing is ever as bad as it seems. With that said, every Friday I make a list of all good things that happened this week.

1. The time I spend in the computer lab is officially the best part of Tuesdays.
2. My professor approved my proposal for the final project!
3. Got a B on a midterm!
4. Ran into a classmate who I hadn't seen in months. And he still makes me smile.
5. I got a compliment on one of my outfits.
6. We're finally having spring weather!!

What were the good things in your week?

A bit o' Irish

2010-03-17T16:36:00.000-04:00

Wanting to put four semesters of Irish to use, I've compiled a list of useful phrases to use for St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy!

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona duit/daoibh!

La ae-leh Pawdrig shonah ditch/deev.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you/you all.

Pionta Guiness le do thoil.

Pyunta Guinness leh doe hull

A pint of Guniess, please.

Uisce beatha.

Ishka baha

Whiskey.

Tabhair póg dom, táim Éireannach.

Too-ir pogue dum,toyme ay-ron-ahk

Kiss me, I'm Irish.

Craic.

Crack.

Fun.

Sláinte

Slawn-che

Cheers!

An adventure and a half

2010-03-14T17:53:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. I've been slacking on the whole blogging thing lately. But I do have a perfectly good reason! It's called Spring Break.Though I'm wordy enough to write an in-depth entry for the major events of the week, I'll spare the meticulous details and give you the skinny.

Huzzah! This was my tenth consecutive year attending this particular renaissance festival. It's hard to think about how much the faire has changed since then, and though most of the changes have been for the worse I do have good news. For the first time in years I did not get into trouble! That's a great accomplishment on my part.

(Yes there was a dude dressed as a banana. Yes he lost a bet. No, I had nothing to do with it).

But I didn't have my passport! I decided it would be fun to drive down to Miami for a day to visit one of my friends. What she failed to tell me was that I had to take an exit just to stay on the turnpike. Do you know what happens when you miss Exit 4x? The turnpike turns into I-95 and will take further into Miami than you probably want to go. Very few people speak decent English, my Spanish is horrible, and the GPS was telling me to continue on 95. Needless to say that being lost, though only temporarily, was not fun.

(The banana trend is unintentional. I promise).

Road Rage. South Florida has the worst drivers in the nation. Somehow I forget that little fact until I'm driving there. There was one occasion where I'm on a ramp and the guy in front of me is only going 20 mph. I wait for the line of cars to pass me before I switched lanes and tried to pass him. Unfortunately the truck in front of me decides to slow so that I can't pass the other car. And we have to merge soon. I was forced to hit the brakes and get back behind the first slow-poke. But the other night was worse. I'm bebopping along at 50 mph (only 5 above the speed limit, thank you very much) when someone decides to pull out into the middle lane and in front of me. Since there was a car to my left, I tried to swerve right and get around them, but before I could the car behind me had done just that. The car that cut me off still hadn't got up to speed and then it was aligned with the truck and the car that passed me. There was nothing left to do but to slam the brakes. Thankfully no one was behind me otherwise I would have been rear ended into a 3-5 car accident. And P.S. There are always a handful of people who run a light in Miami. Just another tip in case you decide to go there.

Well that's not forensic-y. When my high school puts on a play, you have to go. Not to brag or anything, but we do have one of the best theater programs in the county. (And best newspaper, and magnet program and...ok, now I'm bragging). It wasn't long before I spotted one of my teachers. More specifically my newspaper adviser for three years. If I ever get the bright idea to talk to her again, someone please stop me. She's great at knocking you down. "So what are you studying in school?" Psychology. "Oh really? What do you plan to do with that?" Well right now I'm thinking grad school for forensic psychology. "Oh wow. You wanna work with cops and crazy people?" [blah blah blah. Insert segway]. I did get to go to Ireland this summer. "Oh that's neat! What courses did you take?" Irish Literature & Film, and Irish History. "..What does that have to do with forensics?" Um...nothing. Just getting gen eds out of the way. "Be sure to take a couple education courses so that you'll have something to fall back on." Thanks. Thank you so much. [keep a hint of sarcasm in that last reply. I tried to sound grateful but soon made an excuse to leave].

That, my friends, was my Spring Break.

Award ceremony!

2010-03-14T17:08:00.000-04:00

And I'm not talking about The Oscars. But if you really want me to, I can wear a strapless dress and slouch like Miley Cyrus. (Why hasn't daddy taught her anything about posture??). On second thought, nevermind. It's just easier to wear a tank top and jeans and thank everyone who made this possible, aka Krystal.

"This award means you're really going places, Baby. You'll still be blogging about your great adventures 10 years from now, and I'll still be reading them."

The Rules:

Link back to the blogger who sent you this award
Post where you would like to be in 10 years
Pass it on to 10 other special bloggers!

The question frightens me just as much as it did the first time around. Since I already answered this and said I would be a forensic psychologist with a husband (maybe kids?), I will write where I was ten years ago. In middle school. Wait. Do I really want to go there? Middle school was awful. Dreadful. Horrendous. And the reason why I don't wear shorts, or anything else that shows my legs, in public. A tip for all the mothers with a young one: be prepared for middle school. Peer opinion is, perhaps, most influential at this stage. What classmates think of you is disgustingly important and can have a significant negative impact on one's self-esteem. Just . . . be there for your kids. I wish I could articulate the horrors of middle school more efficiently but I hope that my word is enough.

Wow, that got depressing quick, didn't it? Onto a more cheerful subject, here are the ten special bloggers I chose :)

1) B Sparkly
2) Life on Sunshine Street
3) Mamma Kerr
4) Mass Hole Mommy
5) Riding the Roller Coaster
6) Sarah's Blog of Fun
7) The Good, The Bad, And The Gotta Have
8) The Husailey Bunch
9) The Snyder 5
10) Xmas Dolly

More than MMMBop

2010-03-09T15:38:00.000-05:00

I logged onto Facebook one afternoon (as I so frequently do) and a small smile spread across my face when I saw that there was a notification. Hmm, who commented on what? I wondered. I clicked on the little red speech bubble to discover that my old neighbor had "commented on my activity."

Just a couple hours earlier that day, I had RSVPed to Hanson's release of Shout It Out!, a reservation I (purposely) made known to all my Facebook friends. "Now why would you go and admit something like that?" my neighbor said. "Didn't your mother teach you any better?"

Let me tell you, being a Hanson fan is not easy. We have to endure not only teasings directed at us, but also smart remarks made about our beloved band. The whole "you mean those chicks are dudes?" joke is so old. And then the hater often proceeds to make gay jokes and how they are one hit wonders. Right. The three brothers have wives and children now, not to mention they've had more successful singles than the ~~unoriginal~~ Jonas Brothers. Despite all of this, I have remained loyal to this band for the last thirteen years. Nor am I alone. Hanson's fan base is well into the hundred thousands, probably even into the millions once you count the closet fans.

But what is there to be ashamed of? Never once did a swear word appear in the lyrics. Not once was there a song about sex, drugs, or alcohol. Strip these guys of their instruments, leave them only their voices, and they can still wow an audience. Live. And they've been doing this since they were kids. How many pop artists do you know who can or has done that? Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot. This is why us Fansons work so hard to promote these guys. They have such amazing music ability and it's about time that Hanson is known for something other than "MMMBop."

Call me optimistic, but I think that might just happen with this new CD that's to be released in June. Check out the video I found. It's a clip of their rehearsal for their upcoming music video "Thinkin' About Something."

What do you think of it? If you're about to make fun of me for liking Hanson, stop right there. I have a challenge for you: listen to some of their newer tunes. Great Divide, Hey, Penny and Me, and Blue Sky are good places to start. If, and only if, you can honestly say you don't like any of it, THEN you may make fun of me. Just please, keep your comments to yourself if you're strictly judging them on MMMBop.

I can feel a change a-coming.

Personal Soundtrack T-shirt

2010-03-04T18:04:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wished that you could have dramatic music play whenever you enter a room? Or perhaps play the Jeopardy song when waiting for someone to answer you? Admit it, it would be pretty darn cool if we could coordinate music with our life like Koothrappali does here.

You may be thinking "Yeah, but that's TV. Not to mention it's The Big Bang Theory-- Raj probably just made the shirt himself." That, my friend, is where you're wrong. This exact shirt does exist! Thanks to the geniuses at ThinkGeek you too can add background music to your life for only $30! I'm seriously thinking about buying the shirt (as well as a couple other goodies from that site). In my humble opinion, it's quite worth it. What are your thoughts on the shirt?

Write 10 words. No more, no less.

2010-03-02T19:55:00.000-05:00

I'm going to pursue this. Hopefully regrets won't come later.

Feel Good Friday

2010-02-26T16:26:00.000-05:00

I'll admit, this was a pretty crummy week. All the more reason to write another Feel Good Friday post, right? This week's awesome happenings...

1. The death traps, aka gigantic icicles, finally melted!
2. My friends and I made plans to see a potentially awesome play this weekend.
3. Lunch date with a friend who I hadn't seen in forever.
4. The wonderful people on hnet loved my idea to have "Shout it out" promotion day on Hanson Day. (We're a special breed of fanatics. More to come later. Maybe).
5. The deadline for a homework assignment was extended! Thank goodness. X' theory is awful.
6. As mentioned in Ten Word Tuesday, I ran into an ultra-attractive classmate ;)
7. Bounce rate of my webstore decreased by 10%!
8. I got a partner for my psych project
9. The weekend is officially here!

What were the great things that happened to you this week?

I find hope in your hate for me.
"Great Divide"

Nerd Level: 5

2010-02-25T20:04:00.001-05:00

I never denied being a nerd, but until recently I would have said my nerdiness was mild.

I like video games. OK, so I like the older video games like Pac Man, Mortal Kombat, Spyro, and Pokemon.
Math jokes are always enjoyable.
Physics or Engineering were once appealing majors.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is hysterical.
And I work at renaissance faires, for goodness sakes.

However...
I've never watched Star Wars
I've never been a Trekkie
Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my least favorite movies.
And I can't fix most computer problems.

See? Mild. But my nerdiness has increased exponentially, and Python is partly to blame.

Intro to Computer Programming gave me a new appreciation for computers. They're a lot more fun when you have some understanding of how they work. So much that I've decided I'm going to take what I learned from last term and apply to a project for this term. For my Science Fiction class, I will be building a "Choose your own adventure" program. And there will be GUI involved. Bear in mind that I've never used GUI before and so, will be teaching myself as I'm building this program and writing the story.

But don't crack your nerd jokes yet! There's still more! I'm currently in the process of making an RSS feed for my entire webstore, a data feed that will be uploaded onto a wonderful search engine that will hopefully bring me more business. With that said, I'm slowing learning HTML. While I can't design an amazing blog (yet) I can make a spiffy button. Go ahead, click it. I dare you.

(I promise to make a separate blog for the store. But until then, you'll have to endure my shameless plugging).

Now, here's the horrifying thought. For the first time in my life, I'm considering watching Star Wars and Star Trek. Yeah...my Sci Fi classmates might be rubbing off on me. I'm not sure if I really want to complete the nerd transformation just yet...

Ten Word Tuesday

2010-02-23T20:25:00.000-05:00

The best part about today was seeing my ~~sexy~~ attractive classmate.

Newest award

2010-02-22T15:25:00.000-05:00

Mucho thanks to Misadventures of Mom of 3 for giving me this award! If you haven't checked out her blog, you need to do so. Right now.

Now that I've accepted this award I must:
- link back to the blogger who gave me the award
- write about where I would like to be in 10 years
- pass it along to 10 bloggers

Ten years from now...oh boy. Do I really have to do this? Seriously, just thinking a couple weeks ahead makes me nervous. Ugh, ok, here it goes. In ten years I will be completely done with school, have an actual career and will probably be married. And I will be the next Patrick Jane or Emily Prentiss. They make psychology ~~bad-ass~~ super cool.

I have chosen, in no particular order...
1. Rachel's Ramblings
2. The Snyder 5
3. Blackberry Jam Cafe
4. Providence
5. Mural Maker & More
6. Confessions of a Fitness Instructor
7. Just Thinkin'
8. La Fin DuMond Farm
9. EmcogNEATO
10. Life on Sunshine Street

Looking forward to what you all have to write! Have a happy Monday.

Holy Potatoes Batman!

2010-02-20T23:11:00.000-05:00

So many records have been broken, and I'm not talking about the Winter Olympics.

1) I have officially written more this year than in all of 2009.
2) My list of followers reached a number that I never thought I would see.
3) This Friday Follow brought more new followers than the last two weeks combined! Go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back for making this possible :)

Of course a big thanks also goes to Midday Escapades, One 2 Try, and Hearts Make Families for hosting such a great event. It's going to take me a little while, but I honestly can't wait to read everyone's blogs. I will (hopefully) be blogging more regularly--about two to three posts a week--and already have a few treats planned for you. In other words: keep your eyes peeled. Looking forward to hearing from you and reading your blog!

Hope you have a fantastic week!

Feel Good Friday

2010-02-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

Life is too short to focus on the negative events in our lives. Instead of dwelling on the fight with a friend, the rude bus driver, and yesterday's embarrassing scenario, think about all the good things that happened this week. You might even surprise yourself, finding that the last few days weren't as horrid as they had seemed. The awesome happenings this week were:

1) I got an A on my Physics exam
2) I had dinner with a good friend of mine
3) None of my professors will have a "make up" class on a Saturday.
4) I accidentally got on the wrong bus and still got close to home
5) My first attempt at making an rss feed was a sucess
6) Hanson finally announced the release date of their new album!

In the world of emoticon, I am colon uppercase d.

What were the awesome happenings in your week?

Ten Word Tuesday

2010-02-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

Please read the asterisk at the bottom to learn more.

* Every Tuesday I will use 10 words, no more or less, to sum up the day. I'm not sure how successful I will be, but I never turn down a good challenge (especially when the challenge is my idea, lol).

The price of chapstick

2010-02-15T16:50:00.001-05:00

I sat there, staring blankly at the wall. What am I forgetting? I looked around and bit my lip. The feel of cracked skin was the reminder-- Chapstick! I swung my backpack over my shoulder and walked out. Snow was falling lightly, adding to the two feet that had already accumulated. So the weatherman was right. Again. How much longer is his winning streak gonna last?

The closest drug store was about three blocks away, but that wasn’t my destination. That drug store is crap; it has a bunch of low prices for stuff I don’t need and doesn’t carry the items I do need. Therefore my destination was the good drug store, the one that was just a couple more blocks away. Or so I thought.

The weather had discouraged many pedestrians but there were still a few out with a mission-- hot food, fuel, medicine, chapstick…
My steps quickened as the building came into view, and then slowed again when I saw that it was the wrong store. I stood there for a moment, contemplating my next plan of action, the cold weather encouraging me to turn around and grab lunch. But then I felt the broken skin on my lip. I kept on. Besides, it can’t be that much farther.

The sidewalk’s condition worsened with each block and the buildings became more sparse. My foot slid as it stepped on pure ice. Good news, the good drugstore was at the end of the block. Bad news, the entire sidewalk was covered in ice. I kept on.

My steps were slow, measured, carefully maneuvering around other pedestrians. It was the longest block of my life but at long last, I was inside the store, browsing the aisles. It took me forever to find the brand I wanted--Why the heck is it next to nasal allergy medicine?--but the vanilla-flavored lip balm was worth it.

Price of chapstick = $3.96 + 9 blocks in the snow, 1 of which was pure ice.

Having a snow story to tell your grandkids = priceless.

“Well when I was your age, I had to walk ~~nine~~ 10 blocks in the snow just get to chapstick! On unsalted sidewalks, mind you.”

Yup. I am totally telling that story when I'm old.

The Snowpocalypse continues

2010-02-14T12:29:00.000-05:00

I guess Old Man Winter heard my challenge because, according to the radio, we are to get another snow storm on Monday. Super fantastic.

My university is notorious for remaining open despite ridiculous conditions. In the last 30-ish years, the school had only closed thrice, twice because the mayor made them and once because political leaders from all over the world were coming. Even when it did close due to snow (aka, when the mayor told him to), it was only for a day. Never three days like last week. Man did I love those three days. Confined to my apartment, listening to music, watching the icicles grow, and not doing homework. Yup, I was the definition of "bum." Unfortunately my bum days came to an end Thursday, when the school finally opened.

The news of classes resuming was bittersweet. I was happy to have an excuse to leave the building but I knew my trip to campus wouldn't be pleasant. The city is notorious for not clearing the roads and sidewalks. I caught a bus at an earlier time, anticipating difficulties and, well, I was right. It took 45 minutes to go two miles. Chancellor, if you're going to insist on having class can't you at least make sure the roads are clear? Or maybe even salt campus sidewalks? Please and thank you.

Ah, but his craziness doesn't end there. He wants us to go to school on two Saturdays to make up for the lost days...two Saturdays that aren't for at least another month. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that my professors are against Saturday school as much as their students. In other words, for once I'm hoping that the chancellor won't close the school again.

But if individual professors cancel a class, hey, I won't complain.

One final thing to mention. I've made memorabilia for this Snowpocalypse: Posters, buttons, and bumper stickers. Let me know what you think? More (non-blizzard related) products to come soon.

I've been beautified?

2010-02-11T21:35:00.003-05:00

A big thanks to La Fin DuMond Farm for the nomination! (Amazing blog, by the way. You should check it out!)

I'm new to this but apparently the rules are as follows:

1. Thank the person(s) that nominated you; link to the person that gave you the award!

2. Pass this award on to 15 bloggers you’ve discovered and think are fantastic.

3. Contact said Blogs; let them know they've won!

4. State seven things about yourself

My must-read blogs are:
1. One2Try
2. Textual Times
3. On Tour With ShaeLaurel
4. Midday Escapades
5. The Moody Mix
6. Simply Stacie
7. Oh, hey Kristina
8. Westerblog
9. TPN Photo
10. TPN Media

I know, I know. I fail epically at posting 15 blogs. But again, I'm sorta new to this. I mean, it wasn't until very recently that the blogs-I-follow list surpassed three. I promise to do better next time, if there's a next time.

Seven Amber facts:
1. I will never, ever, understand the rules of football. Many different people have explained it to me in many different ways, but I'm just football stupid.

2. I was once convinced that I was going to marry Zac Hanson, but that dream is gone now. Not so much because I grew up, but mostly because he's off limits now. Sigh...That Kate is one lucky chick.

3. With that said, I absolutely love Hanson! Fanson since '97 and darn proud of it!

4. Do not come between me and a slice of pepperoni pizza. You will get hurt.

5. My favorite ice cream? Vanilla with a scoop of gummy bears thrown in. Delicious, I tell you!

6. I will listen to any band at least once before I form an opinion. My opinion of the Jonas Brothers? They're like Hannah Montana-- a product that needs to be sold. Nothing more.

7. It's not often that I use the word "hate" but I hate linguistics with the passion of a hundred burning Florida suns. Sorry professor, I really don't care about a language spoken by 200 people in the Pacific, regardless of their rich morpheme system and their odd syntactic structure. It's just not something I can get excited about.

Homework status: Done! Wait, there's an exam tomorrow? ~~Shit~~

You're a traitor to the Florida race

2010-02-10T18:34:00.000-05:00

Snow Day #3 is quickly coming to an end. With over a foot of snow on the ground, ice-covered roads, and temperatures barely making it to the double digits, it's like Old Man Winter is saying "Take that, Floridian! Go back to the Sunshine State where you came from!"

"Bring it, old man!" is what I say. "I have yet to fall on you're slippery roads. Your snow makes even the ugliest of neighborhoods pretty. And I happen to like the cold!"

Florida Girl say what?

I'm not lying- I really do like cold temperatures. There's just something invigorating about it and I will take this snowy weather over the heat and humidity any day. After living in Florida for 18 years I can tell you this much: it is much easier to warm up than it is to cool down.

I never really understood the Florida appeal. I mean, the weather sucks for 11 months of the year, the summer being the worse. Not only are temps and humidity high, but it rains just about every day. In fact, I can even tell you when in the day it is going to rain-- between 2:00 and 7:00 PM.

Then there's whole lack of seasonal changes. You know, the leaves changing, the snow showers, the brisk Spring air. There are essentially two seasons in Florida: hot and less hot.

So why do my classmates think me odd for leaving the sunbelt? The way I see it, they have been the lucky ones.

Homework status: Almost done!

Hello Snow Day, Goodbye Productivity

2010-02-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

I made a promise to myself last night, in those last few moments before I drifted off to sleep. I would be productive today. I would wake up before 11:00 and be on campus by 1:00. And on campus I would remain until I got some work done.

That promise was broken about ten minutes after I woke up.

I looked out the window to find that, for once, the weatherman was right in his prediction: we got about ten inches of snow last night. Ten inches! I've never seen that much; not in the city, anyway. Still I checked the bus schedule only to find that none of the buses are running today. In other words: No trip to school for Amberlynn.

Of course, I got nothing done today. The reasoning behind last night's promise was so that I could do my work without being surrounded by distractions. I mean really, do you know how hard it is to read a chapter on Syntactic Theory when access to youtube, Facebook, and various forums lay at your fingertips? It's darn near impossible. Therefore a trip to school was necessary.

Now only a few hours of the day remain and still there is a pile of homework mocking me. Call me crazy, but I honestly think it grew in the hour I was outside enjoying the snow.

Oh my goodness! How could I have forgotten? I took pictures while out. Whew! Now I can't say that I did absolutely nothing today :) Enjoy the pics.

Novel Accidents

2010-02-05T16:20:00.000-05:00

Every November, for the last four Novembers, I have participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). And in the weeks leading up to the challenge, I work hard to plan out my novel, constantly adding to and readjusting my outline. Every year I say to my characters "You are not going to hijack my plot. You're going to do as I say and you're going to like. Do I make myself clear?"

And every year my characters hijack the plot. Those little rebellious beings are just so confident that they have a better idea for my storyline. Before I thought it was a female thing, that somehow, the character's sex influences their rebellious-ness. This time around my MC was male and, well, here is a non-exhaustive list of the little surprises that came while writing Bounded.

1. Sir Bushy Tail, Gift of Gab. Also known as my talking squirrel with a sarcastic sense of humor. I love this character, really I do, but for awhile he made my sci-fi story look more like fantasy. Not to worry, though. I found a way to keep him and still keep the sci-fi.

2. The Sanders kicked my MC out of their home. How dare they do that to their own son! Now how is he supposed to find out that you’re cyborgs instead of humans?

3. Speaking of fake humans, that’s what his American Literature teacher ended up being. And here I thought it was just Mr. Johnson, the Advanced Engineering teacher.

4. Detention. I didn’t think that would need to exist in this city, but apparently it does.

5. The introduction of Caleb and Ike. Resulted from number four.

6. Sam, the main character, no longer talks like a guy. I read his dialogue and, to me, it sounds so much like a girl. And it sounds like he has a crush on Caleb. Then again, I can’t blame Sam. Caleb, after all, looks like a cross between Steven Straight and Taylor Lautner ;)

Of course, most of these accidents worked out for the better, but for once I would like to have complete control over my characters. Is that too much to ask?

"Each day's a gift and not a given right."

2010-01-24T14:50:00.002-05:00

I am rather disgusted with myself. I didn't get myself out of bed until nearly 1pm yesterday. I remember waking up at about 9 and then kept drifting in and out of sleep. And then, when I finally got up, I spent a good two hours on the internet.

Once upon a time, my internet usage would be in small spurts- 15 minutes or so just to check and reply to e-mail. But then I discovered Facebook and Youtube. While the former is a common time waster, I'm not addicted to the site. The latter, on the other hand, effectively kills all intentions of productivity. By the time I forced myself to do something school related, it was after 6:00!

I repeat- I am rather disgusted with myself.

Seriously, what am I doing with my life? And what are you doing with yours? Let's face it, a good amount of our population is addicted to the internet. To those who aren't, how do you do it?. The ones who are truly admirable, though, are the ones who put their internet time into good use. Exhibit 1: Paul Carroll.

This 18-year old is co-founder of a non-profit group, The Literary Den. They had spent some time talking about promoting literacy but, finally, started their campaign earlier this year. Besides blogging and vlogging, his group is putting together an anthology, collecting pieces from writers in the UK, Ireland, and the US. Here's some proof if you don't believe me: http://paulcarrollwriter.blogspot.com/2009/10/need-magazine-help.html

Next we have Michael DiMartino, Exhibit 2. He is a 25-year old New Yorker who has some of the best ASL music videos. The enormous amount of attention that his videos have received have only further motivated him to achieve his goal- bring mainstream music to the deaf and hard of hearing. Right now he is recording his own music and making videos to go along with them. I highly recommend that you check him out at http://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelDiMartino

And last but not least, we have Stephen Torrence, a 21-year old Texan who is also a signer. He started out by just wanting to share his passion for ASL and, like Michael, his videos have received a lot of attention. Now the guy is starting to book performances. But that's not all! Someone from America's Got Talent contacted him, asking if he would be willing to audition! I guess it's to be expected when your signing is this good http://www.youtube.com/user/CaptainValor Oh, and did I mention that he's a blogger, too? I'm starting to think it's necessary in order to be successful. http://www.badphilosophy.com/blog/

So what have I accomplished lately? Um, well, I've written first drafts of novels...oh! And a couple of screenplays, too. I've dabbled with media editing, though my skills are quite mediocre. Computer programming, though interesting, is not my forte. So um, yeah. With that said, I have created a list. A Big, Fun, Scary list of what I would like to accomplish in the next year.

Big:
- WriDaNoJu, Write a Damn Novel in June
- 3-Day Novel Contest
- finish editing Bounded and Love Thy Sister, Love Thy Home.
- don't die from the "Scary" goals

Fun:
- NaNoWriMo (duh)
- My own channel of ASL videos...or just some cause that's important to me

Scary:
- TEG for Irish
- Find a literary agent
- research in the Psych department
- take the GRE
- graduate early??

That's my list at the moment. If you're like me and spend too much time doing absolutely nothing, then I encourage you to join me. Make your own BFS list and work hard to achieve it. Now, it's time for me to unplug the Ethernet cable and get back to work.

I am a terrible blogger

2010-01-24T14:45:00.002-05:00

This blog has been horribly neglected. I have been writing, honest I have. It's just that I haven't gotten around to posting any of it. But fear not! There's going to be a semi-massive update that will be taking place over the next couple of days. Then, hopefully, posts will become regular.

Amberlynn: designer

2009-10-13T22:30:00.002-04:00

For the past month I've been slaving away designing new products that you (yes YOU) might enjoy. Alas, I think it is time to reveal my hard work. It's a scary step, you know? You're not sure how others are going to take to your products, whether they're gonna love them as much as you do, and you constantly worry if you'll ever make a sale. But the only way to attain success is to put yourself out there. So I'm going to shut up now, take a deep breath, and post the link to the store.

www.zazzle.com/FiadhaicRos*

I've been lied to!

2009-06-26T06:33:00.003-04:00

Ok, maybe not lied to, but definitely mislead!

You see, all this time I had assumed that I would be taking classes with other Irish students, that us "yanks" would be integrated with the locals. Am I? Well, the answer to that is a horrifying NO. All of my classmates are other study abroad students, here for the summer program of Irish Studies. An dáirie atá tú, are you serious?!

Am I disappointed? Most definitely. Am I being over dramatic? Quite possibly. Is this going to make it a little more difficult to meet locals? Maybe. Is that gonna stop me from trying? No feckin' way :P

Details of my trip (and maybe pictures) to come later.

Is geall le sos malairt oibre

2009-06-26T05:59:00.003-04:00

[written during the 6 hour flight]

"Have you ever flown before?" asked the TSA. If I hadn't been so tired, I would have laughed.
Before we start, let's get on thing straight. I travel. A lot. In the span of 20 years, I've covered thousands of miles (possibly more than 100,000..I've lost count). But don't let me deceive you- I haven't been to many different places, just a lot of the same cities. I've never been west of Michigan, north of Niagra Falls, Canada, or south of Key West. This trip, however, has brought a few firsts.

I've spent a good amount of time on a plane these past two years; so much that the routine had grown monotonous. No, really. I've memorized the pre-boarding speech and the safety speech. Not to mention that I'm always at the window seat closest to the wing, so I have a fairly good idea of what's normal plane behavior. Is it any wonder why this flight in particular didn't worry me?

Well, this time around I had a layover in New York- a foreign airport but not a foreign concept. While sitting at the gate, the woman beside me noticed my card of Irish verbs. That thing is a conversation starter, let me tell you. Her and her daughter live in Dublin and so were curious as to what I will be doing during my stay. All of that, however, was just to lead up to what they really wanted to know. "Aren't you travelling with anyone?"

"No," I tell them, and watched them try to hide their concern. I know how ridiculous it must have sounded, to be going to a foreign country on my own...to get from Dublin to feckin' Galway without a companion. I wasn't afraid though; somehow the preachings I got from my fam triggered some sort of bravery (or more like a stubborn determination to show that I'm not like most people). At this point, I was still convinced that this was just like my other trips. Just longer.

Finally it came time to board. A brief, mild shock went though my system when I stepped inside. It was so...mòr! I'm sure that someone reading this is probably chuckling but some part of me was anticipating something closer to the size of a Boeing 737...not an Airbus 330. I made my way towards the back of the plane, taking my seat and securing the seatbelt around my hips. See? It's still the same. I could not, however, continue to lie to myself when the safety video came on. First of all, it was a video, not a stewardess making hand motions. Second of all, it didn't follow the script that I had familiarized myself with. It was at that moment that the truth finally broke through my consciousness. This is different. This is foreign to me on all levels- new country, no companion, no familiar person(s) waiting for me at baggage claim. And did I mention I have to catch a bus to take me from Dublin to Galway? Ok, maybe now I'm a little scared. Just how crazy am I?? I guess all I can say is...

Tapaigh an deis!

Checks

2009-06-12T14:47:00.003-04:00

Note: Footnotes are the little numbers that will appear throughout the text. Sorry they're not superscripts...blogger wouldn't let me.

Life is funny. As you get older, you gain more responsibilities. (That’s not the funny part, I promise). However, for most people (or at least for me), paying rent, working a job, etc does not make you say “Oh no…I’m an ADULT!” Instead it’s the little things that happen.

I met up with my best friend from middle school the other day; it was the first time in six years since we last saw each other. She has a kid now so we went to the park to play on the playground. Sage, my friend’s daughter, is trying to play with the other, older kids. Looking at them, I realize that not a single tot would have been born in the 90s. That’s reality check number 1. Then we made a fatal error and listened in on some of their conversations.1 It was two girls and someone’s younger brother, squatting beneath the big slide, talking discreetly.2 They each had boyfriends (both lads were unaware that they were in a relationship with a girl) and then started talking of Jake and other boys. Everyone knows a Jake; the boy that the teachers like, the one who is friends with all the boys and the crushee of every girl. 3 My friend and I crack up laughing. For us it just felt like yesterday we were doing the same thing. Though it had seem so difficult, so drama-filled, life really was easy back then.4 Think about it. All you had to do was tell a Jake that he’s your boyfriend and Ta Da! you had a boyfriend. The teachers’ idea of an assignment was gluing macaronie to cardboard to make a photo frame. And all you needed to be the cool kid was Crayola’s 64 pack. Anyway, listening to the conversation was reality check numero dos.

And then it happened.

Sage had attached herself to a boy about four years older than her. He didn’t think she would be able to keep up but she totally proved him wrong…until finally he found something she wouldn’t be able to reach. She tried but without success. It was then that he said the horrific words: “Haha, you’d need an adult to reach that!” I look at my friend and she looks at me. We were these “adults” that he spoke of. There is no way I can fool myself into thinking I’m still a kid now.

You see, though I am 20-years old and though I have way more responsibilities than desired, I never felt like what this boy called an “adult.”5 Growing up had never scared me…until now. In less than two years I’ll have a B.S. degree in Psych and will be completely financially independent. Then there’s the fact that three of my friends now have kids and many more are engaged to be married. When did I get to be old enough to be married?6 At this point, my future is quite uncertain. I don’t know what I’ll be doing after Pitt. I’m clueless on which grad school is best for me…or even if I want to go. And I haven’t the faintest idea of who I’ll end up with or when. Yeah all of this can get overwhelming sometimes but I’m very much a “see where the wind takes me” type girl and am confident that I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be.

But that doesn’t change the fact that some days I’m scared shitless.

“I’m looking at the vast emptiness that is my future.” Casey Cartright, Greek
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1Don’t give me that look! Have you ever been around kids? They talk loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.

2Or trying to. See above footnote.

3My Jake in elementary school was actually a Logan. Just throwing that out there…

4 Not that we’d ever admit that to our parents. They’re not allowed to be right.

5 It probably doesn’t help that most people mistake me for a 17-year old. (18 on a good day).

6 Another thing we don’t like to admit to our parents- time does go by fast.

The double standard

2009-04-27T17:00:00.002-04:00

Would you go up to an overweight person and say "you're as big as a house! Seriously, get off the couch every now and then."? No. Didn't think so. Yet you probably wouldn't think twice of saying a negative comment to a petite person. With anorexia at its peak, anyone unusually thin are diagnosed by society as having an eating disorder. To those who don't have the disease, who are naturally thin, still suffer frequent criticisms. It's unfair for them to endure comments like "go eat a sandwich" and "you look like a broomstick." I'm not saying that victims of eating disorders deserve to hear the above statements, I'm saying that these utterances shouldn't be made at all. It's not right to be sensitive about weight when the number exceeds healthy and then push all manners aside when the number is smaller than average. Regardless of size, everyone has emotions that should be taken into consideration.

One small statement made in passing, could have a huge, lasting affect on the individual.

Tá sé seans iontach- It's a great opportunity!

2009-04-19T11:35:00.000-04:00

The day that it happened has been stenciled to my mind.

It was cold. It was rainy. And I was on my way to calc. My mood wasn't exactly chipper. I had a death grip on my umbrella to assure that it wouldn't fly away in the strong wind when I felt my phone vibrate. This is weird for two reasons: the phone is always in my bag and, even if it's in my pocket, I don't feel it vibrate when I'm walking. Taking the phone out of it's nice little compartment, an unfamiliar number is displayed on the screen. Normally I don't answer if I don't recognize the area code, but this time I did.

"Hello, Amber?" I could barely hear the voice over the passing buses, the wind, and the rain that was pelting my umbrella.
"Yes..?" I answered, perplexed on how this stranger knew my name.
"Hi, this Samantha Smith from API."

The call was from Academic Programs International, or API for short. I knew this would be about my potential trip but I wouldn't be able to hear any sort of news she that was about to give me. I explained this to her and requested that she call back in 15 minutes- just enough time for me to get inside a nice, warm, QUIET, building.

Waiting for that call back was torture, but 22 minutes later...it came! "Hi again," Samantha said. "Can you hear me now?" I laugh at the Verizon quote and give her the go-ahead. "Well I just wanted to let you know that we have reviewed your application and we think you would make an excellent canidate for our program. Are you still interested?"

Was that a serious a question? "Yes," I tell her. Trying to contain every urge to squeal like a little kid on Christmas morning. "Excellent. I will send your materials to the University for final review but I don't think you will have anything to worry about." She continued to tell me all the things they will be sending me and what I needed to complete by when. I, however, must have sounded like a broken record for the only word in my vocabulary for those two minutes was "OK."

I walk back into Calc, a grin from ear to ear, and take my usual seat behind one of my friends. She turns around. "What happened?" she asked. Ok, now I can squeal.

I'm going to Ireland!!

Needless to say that I couldn't focus in Calc that night :)

Careful, it's slippy out!

2009-01-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

I love my new apartment, really I do. It's in a nice, secured building, the tenants are well-behaved, and campus is about a five minute walk (you know I don't miss driving 34 miles every day in wintry weather). But there is one downfall- no internet.

One would think that we would be able to access the school's wireless network from where we are... but we can't. Well, we can, but the most we can get is two bars of signal. This isn't a story about my lack of internet access, but it did make me risk my life (as well as the life of computer) yesterday.

Given my upper level classes I have more work this semester than ever before. To do said homework, I need the internet. To get the internet I need to bring the laptop with me to campus. Yesterday I found myself a nice little corner and stayed there for about 3-ish hours before my first class began. Afterwards I'm in the class for another hour. Being lost in my own little word of etymology and phonological problems, I never noticed that it was snowing outside. By the time I reentered society, we had a nice white blanket covering the grounds. No big deal, right? Well, that's what I thought as I entered the union.

After eating lunch and spending more time on dreaded homework, it's time to go back to the apartment. Remember the snow blanket mentioned earlier? Well...no one thought to salt the roads or sidewalks. The temperature is somewhere in the teens so naturally one would want to walk quickly to get inside a warm building. And that's exactly what I was trying to do.

But then my foot slipped.

I didn't fall, thankfully, but it reminded me that salt-less sidewalks can be a little slick. Falling would be extremely painful and potentially dangerous when crossing intersections. The concern for my own safety, however, is not what caused me to slow down. It was the 5-pound, fragile laptop that was squished into my bag.

To make this story a little less long...I was an ice block by the time I reached the building. All this for a little bit of internet access.

I blame my professors.

First post of the new year!

2009-01-04T17:55:00.000-05:00

First Night...

The llamas were absent. There was no Bobcat Ballet. But at least there was ShaeLaurel! You don't know who they are? Well shame on you! They're a family of six that have been performing and traveling together for several years now and honestly "amazing" is an understatement. I've been attending their shows for almost five years now and they never cease to impress. This wasn't going to be a post on the wonderfulness that is ShaeLaurel, but it's already turned down that road. Let me introduce you, at least to the "kids."

Christian- I remember him when he was a little kid with glasses! Mom says that he's grown into a fine young man and both of us agree that he shouldn't be allowed to have a sweet 16. He triggers our Peter Pan Syndrome...

Kat- Like it or not, a ShaeLaurel show just wouldn’t be the same without Kat’s lethal ponytail. Her dad jokes that it’s illegal in 35 states. You’d have to see a show to fully understand.

Jessica- Writing buddy! Like the rest of the family she sings, dances, and plays her fair share of instruments. On top of all of that she also writes novels. Yes, novels. I can assure you that one day she will be a famous author.

Andy- This sweetie plays banjo, mandolin, violin, classical guitar, electric guitar, bodhran, drums, and tin whistle. And those are just the ones I know of! Somehow, I think the list is only going to continue to grow.

I could probably write a book on these guys; their interests, dislikes, embarrassing stories, and discuss each visit we had, but I'll spare you the history. This still ended up being longer than anticipated...

Maybe I should get this wordiness thing under control?

Slowly leaving

2008-12-22T15:23:00.000-05:00

"Now remember," my grandpa instructed. " She won't look quite the same."
"I know," I answered, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my tone. I know that dying people don't look that great when they're, well, dying. I took a deep breath and walked across the street to my neighbor's house. I wanted to just go in and see her and leave, to get this over with as quickly as I could. Debby and Amy were in the living room with my grandma. Emily, Amy's 2-year old, was asleep on her chest. There was some chatter coming from the down the hall. I would have to wait. I hate waiting.

I took my spot on the couch next to grandma and made small talk with our neighbors. I'm not even sure what we talked about but, finally, thirty minutes later, the nurse came out saying that we could go in now. Grandma jumped up as quickly as she could with her bad back and arthritic feet and I followed. "Now remember, she won't look quite the same," grandpa's words echoed in my head. But nothing, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

She laid in her bed, unmoving, the only sign of life being her chest rising and fall with shallow breaths and her big, blue eyes blinking every now and then. I knew that it would have been difficult for her to smile, to speak, but I thought that she would still have her nice perm. That she would be sitting upright in one of her sweaters. Instead her gray hair was slicked back, looking as though it hadn't been touched in days, and a pink satin gown covered her. She hated pink. She didn't even like satin too much. And yet there she was, dressed in a pink satin gown, as she looked to see who had entered her room now.

Grandma took the chair beside her and started talking. A conversation that, obviously, ended within 20 seconds. You try carrying on a conversation when you have throat cancer. But she did try, my neighbor, that is. Her words were softer than usual, and occasionally slurred. It didn't help that the oxygen machine was making all its clicks and whirs at all-too-frequent intervals. It took a minute for me to gain control of the tears (stupid things were falling without my permission) and I was fine...as long as I remained about a foot away from her. That didn't last long either. She looked at me and started talking, my cue to bend over and act as though I heard everything she said. I did catch a few words here and there and finally figured out that she was complimenting my hair and that she had always liked the styles. Now those salty drops were back again. Damn it. Grandma handed me a tissue, which only made it worse.

Then it was quiet for a few minutes, grandma and I at loss at what to say and our neighbor unable to talk. I managed to tell her that I was doing well in school and that I managed to get straight B's this semester (not completely a lie, but not entirely the truth). Her mouth twitched at what might have been an attempt to smile. Or an attempt to say something. But which it was, I wasn't really sure. She looked at me most of the time, not that I was able to really meet her gaze. I knew that if I did, even though I was outside my one foot bubble, that it would be too much for me to handle. I'd rather her see me looking down then looking at her with red eyes. She wished me a Merry Christmas and to tell Gail the same. I nodded, not trusting my voice to remain steady.

It was quiet again, except for the annoying machine. I shouldn't call it annoying. It was the only thing that was keeping her alive. And really the only thing that told me that she was, in fact, still alive. Eventually grandma and I left the room. I'd made sure the tears were gone before I faced Amy and Debby, but any sort of tough girl act I had was gone when I entered the living room. Debby gave me a hug, telling me all the things that you hear in sad movies when someone passes away, or is about to pass away, words I didn't think that I would have to hear for at least a few more years. We said goodbye to the girls and went back across the street, me serving as grandma's second cane.

I knew that people get old, that everyone dies eventually, and that a lot of times the death is sudden. And yet I couldn't wrap my mind around it. She had been healthy all this time, more agile than most women at her age. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she was diagnosed with cancer and was suspected go very soon. "It's not fair!" was all I could think.

And we all come, tumbling down
No matter how strong
We all return to the ground
Another day gone, a day closer to fate
And soon we find it's a little bit too late.

Thanksgiving Kid

2008-11-29T14:21:00.001-05:00

We were all packed in the car, ready to go to the Holiday Inn for our Thanksgiving dinner. Why we never have a home-cooked meal is beyond me, but whatever, it's their tradition. We get there a little early and, after having to endure much of my uncle's whining, we were seated. The waiter comes by some time later, asking how many seniors we had. He was polite and guessed two; my Aunt held up her fingers for "three."

He looked around the table, notepad in hand "so that's three seniors and...one child?" Before I could protest, I got a swift kick from beneath the table, my aunt speaking before I had the chance to. "Yes, three seniors and one child."

I shot her a look once he left. "I hope you're not too offended," she said.
"That depends. What's the cut off to be considered a child?"
"Oh don't worry about it. They go by rations, not by actual age.

I'm not entirely sure how much truth was in her words but how could one not be offended? I'm 20-years old and people still mistake me for someone quite younger. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if the waiter wasn't younger than me. . . .

Thump thump and bump bump and oh no

2008-10-04T21:07:00.000-04:00

Thump! Thump! What was that? I asked myself. It was late at night and I was getting ready to crawl into bed. Thump! Thump! it went again. There was no way sleep would come easy until the noise was investigated.

Maybe it was from watching too many horror movies as a child that caused my mind to race, but none of the thoughts had a pleasant ending. It was just me and my aunt in the middle of nowhere in a big, old house--a classic setting for many slasher flicks. I grabbed my yellow Bic pen--the sharpest object at hand-- and clicked it into stabbing position. Thump! Thump! Was it a clumsy burglar trying to find something valuable in the kitchen? Thump! Thump! Or was it my aunt’s body being dumped down the stairs and into the basement? Morbid, yes, but it does happen off the big screen.

Armed with a yellow tube of ink poisoning, I crept silently down the stairs, thankful that I’d lived there long enough to know which boards creek and which don’t. My eyes strained in the darkness, looking for a shadow that might spring into action. The door was still locked and the windows shut. I was almost to the living room where I’d left my aunt. Thump! Thump! She was laying perfectly still on the couch, face hidden behind the cushioned arm. A finger twitched. Oxygen entered my lungs once more.

Thump! Thump! “What’s that noise?” I asked her.
“Huh? What noise, dear?” It sounded again, right on cue. “Oh that,” she answered, and gave me the news.

My predator/burglar/anythingelsethatsbad was a fireworks display at a distant fair. For a school.

Slightly humiliated I plodded back up the steps, not caring if I stepped on every weak board. The fireworks gave a mock greeting as I entered the bedroom. I guess that Thump! was really more of muffled Crack!

You got me feeling like a child now

2008-09-05T20:33:00.000-04:00

Everyone has something that they obsess over, something that takes a shameful priority in their life. For me, as embarrasing as it is to admit, mine is Hanson. Yes, the three siblings with long blonde hair who made several of my guy friends question their sexuality. They mmmbopped their way into the hearts of millions back in '97 and haven't left mine since.

They released another album after Middle of Nowhere, but it wasn't as successful. They disappeared soon afterwards, struggling with a record label that was more concerned about a fat paycheck than the creativity levels the brothers wanted to explore. For years I was deprived of fresh Hanson music. But just as death reached out a bony hand, they released a new CD. You can imagine the relief on my part, as well as on the ears that had to endure my complaints.

Now with their own label, 3CG, Hanson is creating the music they always wanted to. They've added several instruments and even allowed Zac to take lead vocals on a couple of tracks. One thing they kept, though, was their wonderful lyrics that had hooked me in the beginning. Now here's the exciting part. They're getting ready to kick off their tour and will be making a stop in Pittsburgh! This tour is unlike anything they've done before. As a way to raise awareness of the poverty-striken kids in Africa, Hanson will gather concert-goers for a mile walk . . . barefoot. They walk with and talk to their fans during this walk. Now picture a little girl who just found out she's going to mingle with celebrities. That's me only ten years older. And I don't even have a ticket yet! But when one does come into my possession I'm sure to make everyone within earshot either sick of Hanson or create another fanatic. The possibility of meeting one of the guys, talking to them, exchanging e-mails (hey! a girl can dream) has me on the brink of insanity. I'll leave you with some of my favorite lines by this awesome band and a quote referencing them.

You have so many relationships in this life, only one or two will last. You go through all the pain and strife and you turn your back and they're gone so fast.
- "Mmbop"

Sitting on the corner of nowhere road, just between I wish I could and I don't know.
- "Sure about it"

I find hope in your hate for me.
- "Great Divide"

"Jonas brothers are Hanson2008 with Disney behind them. How can you compete with that?"
-Aaron Lewis of Staind