Tuesdays, Mrr Weather, and Messiness

Tuesday has never really been a lovely day in my book. There's not much to be amped up for since you still have the rest of the week's work to do, and you don't have that high from the weekend that you did on Monday. I try to like it because I was born on a Tuesday, but there's still not much appeal.

Speaking of birthdays, today is my mom's birthday! She also has her last class for her masters today. Happy birthday mom!

Mrr weather is not appropriate for dead week. If you're wondering what mrr weather is, it is the type of weather where you look outside and simply mutter "mrr." from under the covers. This weather is definitely not helpful for the case of writing an essay.(Is that all I talk about?)

Right now, the room is atrocious. Not pleasant at all. By the room, I don't just mean the scary side (AKA the room mate's) but my side. When coming back to campus after Thanksgiving, I managed to get a lot of clean laundry. Has this been put away? No, it has not. Other than than, I at least still have a desk with room to put things on it such as my computer.

What do you do to get yourself pumped up to work when the weather is blah?

Essays, One Acts and Running Reputations

Dear blog world,

Please write my English essay for me. An A would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Love, Me.

This English essay has been looming over my head since I got the assignment, and I am not excited about it. Strangely enough this essay is what is freaking me out the most. Finals? Psh, I have that covered. I've learned how to study right. Essays? Woo boy. Not my forte. My mind likes to pretend that I'm a better writer than is true, but my subconcious knows I'm pretty average. I'm strangely pumped for College Writing next term just so I can become a better writer. Due Thursday. Have about 1/3 written out... maybe 1/4. Now that I'm done with my other essay, this is my main focus.

Met for the One Act again tonight. We've got rehersals every night this week now. Scary? Perhaps, seeing what I mentioned in the paragraph above. Rehersals will only be about an hour each, so it should be fine. I'm just nervous that we do it on Sunday!

Last thing for the night to mention is about running, because for some reason I always have to say something about it. I ran today instead of yesterday, which was kind of weird. A funny thing about running is when you talk to other people about your running. For instance, let's look at my running schedule. I run usually Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday and Sunday. Only one of those runs is a long run and the other runs go from 4-5 miles. When I see family members, it's after I've ran my long run. This gives the illusion that I run these long runs every day, or multiple times. Maybe you don't but sometimes ignorance is bliss and you can feel like a cocky son of a gun in front of other people. Just sayin'. Besides, you're still doing freakin' long runs.

Boo. Need to get things ready for tomorrow and work on the essay more. Bleah.

How do you write a good essay?

Homework, Waiting for Superman and Market of Choice

No matter what, all through middle school and high school I spent Sundays as days to work on homework. Recently in college however, Sundays have involved... doing absolutely nothing. Today was a bit of a revert back to high school life. I was back at home, doing homework. ...Now I'm not in the mood to go back to school. It must be done.

My mom who was doing work as well decided that it was time for a break. She wanted to go to the movie Waiting for Superman so off we went.

Oh man, it was a great movie. I suggest seeing it. There hasn't been hype for it for nothing. It's also a very informative movie. There were so many things that I did not know about the education system.

After the movie we thought we should eat somewhere. I said it was a bit early for dinner, so I suggested doing something beforehand. This is when we ventured to somewhere I was extremely excited to go: Market of Choice.

The Market of Choice was recently built in town and I've heard a lot of stuff about it. Call me crazy to be pumped to go to a uppity grocery store, but I've heard of stranger. The verdict? What a cool place! I wouldn't buy my regular groceries there, but you could buy freshly ground almond butter, fancy cheeses, local chocolates, so much stuff! During winter break there will be much shopping there. My mom even got me some fresh ground pb and Almond b. Can't wait to try it!

Now, best I start getting a move on... School returns tomorrow! ...Meh.

What are your views on Market of Choice and Waiting for Superman?

Running Away From Home and Saturday Night Live

Yes, I ran away from home today... but I ran back! That may sound odd, but it's true. Today was yet again my long run day. I ended up staying the night at my home so I would be able to get work done. I knew that if I was to stay up at the cousins' house there would be no way anything would be achieved. Truth be told, I can't really say I've gotten the best amount of work completed, but it's something. And there's still the evening...

Now! About the long run. The very beginning was... Oof. Could have been due to the fact that it was after a few days of consuming an overload of brie and pie. Not the best fuel for a run. Funny thing was, after a couple miles I was feeling pretty good. Breathing heavy, but I felt the running vibe! At the very end was where my legs were starting to die. I got 11 miles in! The farthest I've run yet! Fantastic!

I have always been a big fan of comedy. I can, and have spent an entire day watching stand up comedy. I try to think of how something funny could be incorporated into a situation. This makes it obvious that I would be someone who loves Saturday Night Live. Personally, I think that people should appreciate SNL more. People complain that "It's not as good as it used to be." Honestly, right now there are some great members of SNL, especially some of the new cast members this year. SNL has effected the news, life, everything.  There have been some amazing hosts, two of my favorites are Justin Timberlake and Jon Hamm. They are surprisingly hilarious. If you've never really watched SNL, I suggest you do it. It hasn't been on air for more than 35 years for nothing.

Back to work. Meh.
What's been your favorite SNL moment?

The Day After Thanksgiving

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Also, did anyone participate in Black Friday shopping? Personally, I did not do some serious shopping, but I didn't know what to buy... I need to find out what I should get people for Christmas. Any who!

Lately I have become... stressed out. I have quite a few things due next week even though it's dead week, which worry me. That's not the only thing though.
In my English class, we've discussed that a tragic hero's greatest strength is their true weakness. Mine is my family. The thing is, I love my family. Sometimes, they drive me absolutely bonkers. I try to let it not stress me out so much, but I can't help it. When I try to say something, people will interject way before I have to finish a thought.There's no time to actually say what I'm thinking about.

Now, as you probably can tell, I'm talking about a specific instance. I was beginning to feel confident for my major. I  was feeling excited and like everything was starting to come together. I started to mention my ideas to everyone. Let's just say, not the best reactions. My uncle looked at me like I was a dumbass. I already know what my one cousin thinks. But the thing that my mom said just put me over the edge:

"Well, Communications is usually a major that you decided to pick when you've given up."

Yeah, really a fantastic feeling. I tried explaining why it was a good major, but no one would even let me talk. I can't stand it sometimes. No one really want to hear what you want to say, they just want to say their own opinions. Now I feel depressed about my major plans. I just want to have something solid in my life, you know? I'm so tired of people changing things, flaking out, all that jazz.

I get that yes, no one wants to read a blog entry that is just complaining but it's what is on my mind. It's also due to the face I'm feeling a little icky.

How do you guys deal with differences in family opinions?

Thanksgiving

Today it's very unlikely that many people are going to be reading blogs. So with that, I'd like to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving! And if you're not from the U.S. of A., I hope you have a lovely Thursday. Now spend some time eating yourself silly and hang with your family.

Changing Plans and Basketball Games

Yes, it is another one of those evenings where I am not sure if I will be able to get to a computer. life has been quite busy as of late.
This morning after going to bed at an intelligent hour (meaning staying up until one thirty), I drove back to campus for an eight am class. Joyful. The plan for traveling for Thanksgiving was yet again changed. I think that I have become so rigid in scheduling because I have people changing or flaking out on plans so much. Ironic no?
Tonight I ended up going to the OSU basketball with some cousins, my sis, grandma and parents. what a fun game! Go beavs!

How do you deal with constantly changing plans?

Snow and Concerts

This be a post from my phone since I dont know if I will be back to a computer before midnight. Editing will commence later.
So the reason there was so much yelling last night was actually due to snow. Yup, snow has begun fallling quite early this year. I personally want it to snow when driving is not happening. I have to drive tomorrow twice, and it's not looking nice. (Well truthfully it isn't very bad. I just get a bit worried, you know?)

You know the turkey trot? The person who I was going to run it with decided to bail last minute. What crap is that? She was getting me all pumped up for it, and then last minute bails? Geez, it just makes me a bit annoyed. I ended up just doing some running on my own. Eh.

Tonight I drove down to Corvallis for a benefit concert for a friend's senior project. The concert was enjoyable, but I was exhausted. Lately I've been really tired... could it be sickness? Hopefully not. Also at the concert I saw quite a few people from high school. This feels kind of strange, you know? People feel like they've changed, but I feel like I've changed more than them... Does that make sense?

Time for sleep!

Have y'all experienced snow yet?

Busy days and First Impressions

Oof. What a day it's been. Busy busy busy! The start of a very busy week, that's for sure.

There was class like normal, then a quick lunch led by meeting with the Spanish teacher to get signed up for Spanish 102. She suggested I sit in her 2:00 201 class. That meant showering quickly, then running into her class. Honestly, I felt like I could understand for the most part. Although I wish there was a class in between 102 and 201 happening next term, because that would feel the best. For the rest of the day I've been studying for my Health test tomorrow and finishing up my English reading.

There was also a meeting for the One Act thrown in at 5:30. That was... awkward, simply because my fatigue from the day made me sound like an idiot. Ugh. First impressions with the other guy? Not the greatest. I pulled off a pretty legit dumb blond facade.

It's felt like I have not stopped going... but I'm ready to crash. I'm a little worried about the test, but I'm always worried. Getting a good night's sleep will help, and I can study a little extra in the morning.

...There is yelling and screaming happening outside. Damn you 1st Taylor, you guys are always super obnoxious.

Tomorrow is the Turkey Trot and a benefit concert in Corvallis that I promised to go to. Only a few more days!

What are your busy days like?

Finishing Projects and Odd Auditions

I ended up staying the night at home due to lack of motivation to drive. Eh, ended up being beneficial with learning that it might be better to travel abroad next year instead of junior year. Will look into that more.

Today I ended up working on finishing my costume design project. Here it is!

Truth be told, I thought that it would turn out a lot cooler. What can you do? At least it looks professional, right?

I tried out for Dangerous Liasions tonight! The audition was... weird. The other thing I did today was quickly memorize a monologue, which ended up turning out okay. I think. When I mentioned that I was planning to minor in Theatre, he told me who I should meet up with to set up a minor advisor, and then said I should sign up for Elements of Acting? Compliment or insult? Not really sure, especially since he told a lot of other people the same thing. We'll just see what happens.

I'll leave you now with a picture of me and my cousin from the midnight showing of HP that I forgot was on my camera.

'Cause that's how we roll.

Time is slowly nearing to Thanksgiving! Are you pumped?!

How to Run Like Hannah

Did you ever want to know how I run my long run days? No? Well, you're going to find out anyways, hooray!
First of all, you've got to get all of your things together for the run. Other than your running outfit, you'll be taking along your keys, cell phone and id. If you're really intense, you'll bring along a clif bar that you won't end up eating. Here's how the run will work:

1. Start off as soon as you get outside. Who actually stretches for a decent amount of time?
2. Feel nauseous about 1 to 2 miles into the run and whine to yourself because you ate too close to the time you are running. This will last about a mile.
3. Mutter "Don't hit me!" to the many cars passing by on the roads. If you're running like me, somewhere on your run the trail will be near a busy road. This is due to the fact there are not really any good trails to run.
4. Look for street signs saying your next destination, and have your hopes crushed when it's not the right road. When actually arriving at said street, think, "Oh. That wasn't so far."
5. Brainstorm ideas for the blog. You won't remember anything you brainstorm, but it's a good idea at the time.
6. Have extremely random music play in your head. It could be something like a song from a movie you haven't seen in ages. For me lately it's been any of the songs from Sita Sings the Blues. (Which is a fantastic movie and I suggest everyone watches it.)
7. Go into a strange blissful mood where all you think is, "You know what? I feel like I could keep running forever."
8. Have a dog bark at you. This, if you follow this trend, will happen more and more.
9. Are you in the last few miles of the run? That means it's time for the inner schtziophrenia to come out! One voice will be the kind encouraging voice, the other will be the drill sergent voice This is what it might sound like: Hannah-"This is getting tough." Voice 1-"C'mon, you can do it!" Voice 2- "Yeah, are you gonna bitch out? You better not loser!" Voice 1- "That's not very nice." Hannah- "No, she's right. Gotta push through." Voice 2- "Yeah! Let's do this Mofo!"
10. Reaching the end of the run, receive a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. So what if some people can run marathons. I just ran 10 miles. That's amazing.

That's how it goes! Yeah, so I did run a 10 miler today. The run was a loop that I mapped out, and it was actually really fun! There were many moments where there were cars yes, but I couldn't help it. Here's the tally for the run:

• 2 dead birds on the side of the road
• 6 dogs barking at me
• Lots of cows and horses
• A bajillion birds
• A driveway with three strangely similar black cars

There were some strange sights, and some cool views. Lovely.

I went to dinner with my sister and dad for my dad's birthday tonight. I had an extremely delicious chili burger!
Not ready to work on things due for Monday. Ugh. Sunday will be a work day for sure.

How do your runs go?

Potter, Registration and Facebook

It's Friday, and I am so tired. Also, it's only 10:30.

First of all, Harry Potter was SO GOOD. Ah man, it was probably the best in my opinion. Plus, it was also the closest to the book which is nice. The evening was fun before too, including HP themed food that my aunt and grandma made all day. I consumed a large chunk of it all.

I am all registered for classes next term! ...Except my Spanish class. The teacher told me that I would be able to just do it all online, but that is not the case. I just hope that it doesn't fill up before I can get her to sign the paper! 15 spots... Can't do anything until Monday... I have to believe!

The meeting with the one act guy happened today. He pretty much just explained that it was for his class and I told him times I'm avaliable for rehearsal. The other guy didn't end up showing up. How exciting!

My 10 mile run is tomorrow. I'm always nervous about my longer runs. This time it's because I've never done my long run on a Saturday even though they're usually scheduled then. Huh. I can do it though. I've already run that far! This time though, I've mapped out a new route. I wanted to print it out, but you have to pay to print it on mapmyrun! Not interested. I'll just write it out, take a copy with me, and hope for the best. I run with my phone anyways. Let's do it!

Facebook is getting to the point where almost every aunt of mine has a page. Pretty much it's gotten to the point to where if I ever have a notification, it's an aunt saying, "HANNAH you are soooooooo cute!!1!" ...This makes me wonder what the reason for Facebook is anymore other than a spirit booster I guess? Seriously, why are they all getting Facebooks?

I better get some sleep for tomorrow's run! Night!

Do you have awkward family members on Facebook?

Harry and Coffee

Tonight is the night! Yes indeedy, it's time for Harry Potter!

Last night, I could not sleep, but Harry Potter was not the reason. I just couldn't sleep. Then for some reason my body thought it would be a good idea to wake up at 5:45. Yuck. For the rest of the day I've felt like I've been constantly doing something, you know? Hectic.

My lack of sleep leads us to a few minutes ago. First of all, I want to let you know that I have never been a coffee fan. I adore the smell, but the taste? Not my thing. The only coffee beverage that I had enjoyed was called a blended grasshopper, which was white chocolate and mint. That was before I walked by Cafe Allegro today. While walking by I noticed their beverage of the day was Butter Cream. In my HP high I instantly thought, "Like Butterbeer! I must try it." ...And it was good! My goodness, what is this? Are my tastebuds changing? I don't think too much because 2/3rds of the way through I started tasting the coffee taste and decided I was done with it. Eh. Glad I tried it though!

Now it's time for me to pack up some things, drive up to Canby, and get ready for some Harry!

Are you watching the new movie tonight? Do you like coffee?

Good News and Hibernation Weather

You know how I've been talking about the feeling of hibernation creeping upon campus? Today was one of those days that it made you want to stay inside even more. This is why:

Icky. Oregon's winter is officially happening. I love my Oregon, but... mrr.

Today something extremely exciting happened. I was drying my hair when my phone started ringing. I suspected it was my mom because she's the only person who tends to actually use their phone as a phone. Alas, it was an unknown number. When I answered it, it was someone named Nick. He was putting on a One Act play and the director of Picnic told him to call me. Apparently she thought I was good enough to suggest to this guy to put me in his One Act. I asked about an audition and he just replied, "No audition, I'm just gonna trust her on this." How cool is that?! I seriously did not expect something like that to happen. I'm meeting with him on Friday. We'll see where this goes, but OH MY GOSH! Seriously!

In other news, I got a flu shot tonight. My arm is super sore. This better go away by Weight Training on Friday.
It's also the last day I'm wearing my pedometer. I'll kind of miss the little thing. A little.

Hmm, not enough steps for the day yet

Lastly, I also met with someone in the Career Development Center today. I just wanted some help on figuring out where my passions should take me in way of a major. Meeting up with her was a little bit like talking to a therapist about your problems. It's not really that I didn't know what I should do, but saying it out loud to someone else made the ideas seem more clear. It's good to get a lot of different views. Something she said at the very end of our meeting was, "I can't wait to see where you are in six years." That is pretty neat.

Now is the time that I must continue working on my costume project... or whatever else I get distracted by.

What was the last exciting news that you received?

Up and Down and The Comparison Game

All day I've been up and down. One minute I'm full of energy, the next I'm extremely tired. Huh.

Today we got our midterms back for English. I just have to say, I was estatic when I got it back... for the first few seconds I was anyways. Then the words heard around me made me look down upon myself. It's the comparison game. We all play it. No matter how hard we try, we are always comparing ourselves to others.

The thing is, I actually got an A on my midterm! I was so excited! It was when I saw that two people around me had gotten 100% including my study partner, I felt less thrilled. Why?! That's a great grade! However, just because it wasn't perfect like the other people, it didn't mean as much. UGH! I gotta stop doing that to myself.
Seriously though, I am really happy that I got an A. (Also, I got a B on my essay, so not too bad!)

I'm really quite excited for this weekend! So many things happening, so little time! Does it ever feel sometimes like there's nothing for awhile and then everything all at once? Ah, life.

Glee tonight! Woo! I hope that everyone has a lovely evening.

Do you compare yourself to others? How do you stop yourself?

Thankful for Myself Physically

As winter approaches, the motivation to actually acheive work is slowly fading away. Yes, I am keeping up. I'm actually ahead of my daily work, but there are bigger projects that I should be spending my time on. I have a costume project due in a week... I've worked on it, but it should be done. Anywho.

Lately I've been annoyed by my body. I feel like I look wider, though I know that I don't weigh more. Truthfully, I think that it's just there's now muscle in my stomach area, and I'm not used to it. So to discourage the negative thoughts I am doing something Thanksgiving-based a little early for the holiday. I'm giving thanks for my favorite body parts. (It could also be due to the fact that I can't think of what else to write about today, but let's ignore that.)

First and most importantly, I am extremely thankful for my legs. I love my legs a lot. A big reason is because well, I think they look fantastic but they are amazing for so many other reasons. They are able to move me, to help me be able to run, jump, dance. I will try to not take my legs for granted by sitting in the same position for hours at a time. I want to be able to use my legs as long as possible.

I am thankful for my arms. Not only have they become strong and in my opinion sexy, they help me with some of my favorite hobbies. Without my arms, I would not be able to draw, to play tennis, or to type. Perhaps I would be able to, but it would be a lot harder.

I am thankful for my eyes that let me see beauty in everyday life. I am thankful for my ability to hear stories, music, and little everyday noises that usually just go by unnoticed. I am thankful for my ability to smell delicious scents. I am thankful to be able to taste wonderful foods made with love.

Lastly, this may seem odd, but I'm thankful for my hair. I'm thankful that I was blessed with natural blond streaks, and that it is simple to maintain. I'm also thankful that it keeps my head warm and that I am able to actually have a full head of hair while others cannot.

It may seem silly, but sometimes it's good to just take a step back and look at all of the good things about yourself. We spend so much time looking at what's wrong with how we look, so why not let the downer side of our mind take a break?

I really have been feeling uninspired lately, but I'm hoping that will change soon... Winter, don't bring me down just yet!

What parts of yourself are you thankful for?

Getting Distracted

Sunday night... Wasn't it just Friday? Ah well. Also, I can't believe how close it is to Thanksgiving already!

Sometimes, we intend to have a day that is completely dedicated to getting things of importance done. Sometimes, we can get distracted by something. For me, I am distracted by Hulu.

Before Hulu, I never really had shows that I watched on a regular basis. I would always miss one of the shows, so why bother catching up? Now, it gives me a chance to see a lot of shows that I would want to watch but couldn't. It's good when I can catch the last episode of Community. It's bad when I decide that it's necessary to snoop around for other clips and shows to watch.

Truthfully, I did get some work done today. Did some homework, got some laundry done, ran my 3 miles for the day. Could have it been more? Yes. I think it's time to step away from the screen and get stuff done.

How do you feel about Hulu? What's your biggest distraction?

Generation "I'm Sorry"

Today is... was a sleepy day. One of those days where a tired haze has hovered over me all day. Could it be due to my body fighting back after a killer run? Most likely. Naps were necessary.

Today was also a fall preview day. I can't say that I enjoy fall preview days, because they kind of freak me out. It's the idea of "That was me last year" that weirds me out. Even though it's only been a year, it makes me feel ancient. Perhaps wiser? ...Yeah, sure.

Since it's been a day of do-nothingness, I will talk about something that I have recently been observing more and more.
Let's state one thing here first of all. My age group is actually a pretty nice group of people. Statistically speaking, we've done more volunteer work than any other generation. Also, it could just be Oregon but people are extremely nice. They hold doors open, greet you with a friendly smile, and say bless you when you sneeze. All that lovely stuff you were taught to do as a child. There is only one little thing that makes us bothersome to deal with though. My generation is WAY too over apologetic.

Now, you may be thinking, "Isn't it good to apologize?" Why yes, it is. However this age group decides that we need to say sorry for everything.

Someone bumps into you. "Sorry."
You didn't do amazing on a test. "Sorry."
Someone accidentally interrupts. "Sorry."
They have to leave to get to class. "Sorry."

I'm all for apologizing when something needs to be apologized for. It's when you say sorry for every little thing that it's bothersome. It's like saying "I love you." too much. Those three words are usually used for something very special. When you say it all the time, it loses it's value. Same goes for sorry because when you say sorry for accidentally stepping in front of me with the same tone as when a tragic loss happened in my family, it doesn't sound very sincere. (That's just an example, nothing like that has happened.)

Words are meant to be special for certain things. When a word is overused, it just becomes noise.
The next comment may make this whole speech sound hypocritical. I used to use sorry ALL of the time. My family hated it. I hated it. I started trying to use it less and less. I think I've gotten pretty good at it. The biggest factor of my change? Realizing that when you use sorry all of the time, it's really annoying.
Yes, you're trying to be nice. It just starts sounding insincere.

So, if you're one of my generation who uses sorry way too often, try to stop yourself next time when it isn't necessary. You'll discover that it's nice when it really means something to apologize. ...Although apologizing is usually linked to something bad happening. You get what I mean.

I need to go to a show tonight in Linfield for Theatre. Time for me to get dressed and ready!

Do you over apologize? Do you know someone who does?

The Longest Run... For Now.

This whole week I was dreading today. Yes, I was exctied that it was going to be Friday. However, that also meant it was my long run day. On the calender for today was 9 miles. That's two more miles than I had run last time. I don't ever remember running that much. At running camp, I might have run 7 miles... run/walk form. 9 miles? Yeah right!

Well, after I run, I usually forget about the rest of the things I did before, but let's see... I woke up planning to go to Valsets for breakfast but looking outside at the foggy cold morning convinced me otherwise. Instead I had my classic breakfast and quite a bit of peanut butter, watched some Community too. There was class and some lunch after that. Then it was time for the run.
I mapped out my run beforehand on Mapmyrun.com to make sure that I did the right mileage. I made sure there was a road side point that would help me have a good point to loop back around. The road was Gildow Road. Remember that now.

My runkeeper decided to not find the GPS at the beginning of my run, so I opted to not look at it. The run was not easy of course. When getting to what point I knew as the 3.5 mile mark, I was thinking, "Oh man. This is so hard. Will I ever be able to run a half marathon, if this is so hard?" But I kept running.

Here's a good tip for you: Don't run on highway 99 inbetween Independence and Salem. It is scary, and you can smell the nearby sewage plant when the wind blows near you.

After running toward Salem for quite some time, I realized that this seemed a bit ridiculous that I hadn't gotten to the halfway mark yet. Every street sign had me hopeful, but quickly dashed my hopes onto the ground. Where was Gildow Road?! Finally I opted to turn around at Rogers Street, a sign I would be able to map out to.

Was this run very fast? As if. I felt as though I had reverted back to the beginning of cross country, the slowest runner of the group struggling to catch up. The difference was that this was my run, and my run alone. I had to do this for myself. If I gave up, I would feel terrible. Who cares if it was a snail's pace? Today I was in it for the distance.

As for distance... well, my GPS on the runkeeper started working somewhere during the run, and it was saying 10.45 miles. What? Of course it was bugging out, but I still wanted to find out how far I'd actually run. When I mapped it out again on mapmyrun.com, I looked for Rogers road. What did it say for mileage?

10.9 MILES.

I have just one thing to say. Holy f***. (I try to censor myself... but is there really a point?)

That is amazing. I can't believe I actually could do something like that! I was terrified of the 9 miles, and ended up running almost 11! It's incredible what you can do if you decide you're not giving up not matter what. It also helps if you can't figure out where your marker is and end up going father.

Afterwards of course I was exhaused. When I was running the last stretch my thighs felt like there were bricks attached to them. Now... not really sure. Kind of zoned out. Actually, my arms are strangely sore. Huh.

Everytime I run, I know it's going to be hard. Once I do it though, I feel so proud of myself, and it's okay to feel proud of yourself for doing something big. It's not narcissism, it's validating accomplishment.

My increase of mileage has been one of the biggest things I've ever been proud of about myself. The only other big thing I can think of was after the showing of our school production of Alice in Wonderland where I played Alice. Not sure what is better yet.

Long post, but I felt like I had a lot to talk about! I hope you all have a lovely evening!

What have you felt the most proud of in your life?

Libraries and Going the Distance (Or Not)

I am quite excited that tomorrow is Friday! Yet there is still much to do this evening.

Yesterday I saw a poster for another play tryout! Do I want to do it? Yes, of course! Then today one of my hall mates texted me and mentioned that she wanted to try out for it. How exciting!

Hello Third Floor Library, have we met?

This brought me to going to the library to look up books for monologues. I have been to the library as mentioned before, but I had yet to check out any books.

If you got a chance to look at my first post, you'd see that I have a habit of taking facts from books a lot, or quoting said information. Where do you find books other than the library? This takes us back to this summer, where I would visit the local library multiple times and check out as many books as I could carry. Were these novels? Ha, if only. No, these were books on information like how to succeed in college, finding out the secrects to being financially savvy. Pretty much how to books and factorial books. Weirdly enough I love this type of stuff.

Fast forward today. I look up some monologue books and go find them. One would be enough, yes? I grab three. It seems like I would be good for the day, but what's this? Something has caught my eye! Some books about writing are on the shelf. I skim it, but find nothing of interest. Wait! What's that on the next shelf? Books about food? I am interested about finding out proper nutrition more... I wonder if they have- Fast Food Nation! People always tell me to read this! And let's look at those nutrition books...

This led to me getting  this pile of books:

There's another one in my backpack as well. The question is, when am I going to be able to read these? I have until December 2.

This morning I was planning to run 5 miles, as my training schedule I made said. However, it did not happen. I was having serious issues this morning. It wasn't that my legs were tired, I just couldn't breathe! I don't know what was going on. I ended up running 4. I don't feel very guilty though since

1. I ran an extra mile earlier this week to test out my new shoes.
2. I did Aerobics tonight, which was fun! I was surprised that it didn't totally kill me. I think I'm gaining some endurance!

Truthfully, I think I put more mileage on my training schedule than the one I took the main idea from. I'm doing fine as far as I'm concerned.

The aerobics thing was part of a campus activity... that ended up ending at 9:40. Add me taking a shower, and you've got the reason for the post so late in the evening. Time to go dry my hair!

How do you feel about libraries? What books do you usually go for?

Pedometers and Food Issues

For a second I thought it was Thursday... and that is not the case! I'm a bit glad, actually because I'm running 9 miles on Friday and I'm freaked out. It's only 2 miles more than I ran last Friday, but still! That's a huge number! Let's not think about that now, shall we?

For health class, we have started today wearing pedometers. These pedometers will stay on us for 2 weeks. It's a bit obnoxious, but what are you gonna do? They are extremely sensitive though, so I'm trying not to bounce around. Currently I've got 10,302 steps. Not too shabby!

Now let's change to a more serious subject partially because I have nothing else to write about today and also because I've been thinking about a lot recently. If you don't want to hear me blather on about stress and food, just skip over this, 'kay?
While creating a dietary analysis, I began noticing a pattern that deep down I knew I had been doing. Basically during the week I'd try to eat a lot fewer calories than I needed. By the time the weekend came around, I felt so deprivied that I ate pretty much whatever food was in front of me. You always read about people doing things like this and think, "How ridiculous are these people? Don't they realize what they are doing?" I do realize it, but I haven't wanted to admit it. I need to admit it. My biggest problem is that when I have a treat in front of me, I eat as much of it as possible. So many people have this problem. So much of my own family has this problem. Pretty much I need to learn to have a happy medium. It's easier said then done. Surprisingly, I did this quite well last Thanksgiving. I ate only until I was content, not overstuffed like the once stuffed turkey. I need to retrain my mind, and not worry as much.
I weighed 128.5 on Monday. See? The weight fluctuates. I'm a college student. It needs to be the least of my worries.

I hope you guys don't mind the wordy post from me. It's time for me now to get ahead in my studies! Have a lovely evening!

How do you deal with your food issues?

Donating Blood and Late to Class

Whoh! Today has been quite a hectic day, that's for sure. It feels like I've been on the go all day. Well, let's see how it went:
7:00-8:00 Get ready for class
8:00-11:00 Class
11:00-11:40 Run 4 miles in 35.16 minutes, grab some food
11:40-12:05 Eat
12:05-1:00 Shower, get ready
1:00 Take off to donate blood
2:20-3:40 Class
3:40-7:45 Do some homework, make a class schedule, chill
8:00-9:00 Glee!

Yep, I did donate blood today. It's the second time I've done it. The reason I originally signed up was because one of my hall mates was like, "Hey, I want to donate blood but someone should do it with me." I said I would, but I would sign up at 1:15 instead of 1:30 so I'd be there with her for a little bit but I had class at two. Turns out the hall mate got sick and didn't want to do it, so there I was, early even to donate. I thought, "Oh, I'll have time before class, right?" Wrong. I got out of there and into class at 2:20, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible in a bright red coat, soaking wet from the rain outside. I was kind of peeved during it at first, but afterwards it's kind of funny. Plus donating blood is really not that bad. I was thinking of never doing it again, but maybe I will!



Here's the Battle Wound


So my first tardy to college was due to being a good Samaritan. I think I'll live.

I've planned out a schedule that would be wonderful for next term... I would like to think it's a for sure thing, but getting to register on the last day doesn't make this idea promising. Let's be positive about it though, shall we?

I received a package today, and this beauty was in it:

Can't wait to read it because 1)It is my absolute favorite magazine and 2) Harry Potter. 'Nuff said.

Oh, also tonight's Glee? AH MAN. SO GOOD. I just- AH! Can't even talk about it.

It's time for me to buy some delightful music online now, and plan out some B and C schedules...

Have you ever donated blood?

Peanut Butter and Potter

When I was a youngin' I used to dislike peanut butter a lot. Now, I adored peanut butter in certain things, but in its natural form? It was not happening. I liked that fake peanut butter in Reeses and Peanut Butter Crunch. However, why on earth would anyone have sandwiches consisting of only peanut butter and jelly? Why did people think it was good on pancakes, fruit, or anything? The main reason was probably due to the fact that I've never been a fan of nuts. One day, something changed though.
It was last year when I tried it with apples. Everyone talks about how it's so good, so why not try it? This is what had me eating apples and peanut butter almost every day. Then I tried it on a waffle with slices of strawberries. Delicious! Why had I never had this?
Why do I mention this now? This morning, I had my favorite breakfast of a bagel thin with peanut butter except there was one slight difference. Today I started using All Natural Peanut Butter. It's just wild how someone who for most of their life never liked peanut butter now uses the most basic form for their breakfast. Just a random thought.



Had the Adam's Peanut Butter... I think I'll have Chunky Kind next time

Perhaps I should try Almound Butter... I see it all over the blog world, is it as delicious as everyone says?

Before I start up on my next topic of discussion, I should mention a little fact about me. I am a gigantic Harry Potter nerd. I'm one of those kids who can make a reference to HP almost anywhere, read the books, watched the movies, all of that jazz. An example? When visiting my cousin at her school, I saw a upright circular plaque thing and said, "Look, it's a pensieve!" Yeah, a bit ridiculous.

I'm talking about HP now because I think this month should definately be considered Harry Potter month. There's two reasons for this, which are:

• The obvious reason that HP 6 part 1 is coming out on November 19th. Have I known this date for months? Yes. Do I have my midnight showing ticket? Do you even need to ask?
• Tomorrow on Glee there is a very special guest showing up who I am absolutely giddy about. No, it's not Daniel Radcliff. It's Darren Criss. This is the point where you go, who? Well, he plays Harry in A Very Potter Musical. Now you're thinking, "What?"

A Very Potter Musical is a parody play that these students from Michigan created and posted it all online. If you're a HP nerd and a bit of a theatre nerd, you will find it HILARIOUS. If you're not, well... I can't help you. It is so ridiculous. And yeah, the guy from that show is going to be in the next episode of Glee. I am freakin' excited.

There's probably some other HP thing that makes this month feel very HP-ish, but I can't think of any more.

You ever have those days when you don't really want to move around? That is what today has been. I have gotten work done, but my habits in the social department have been lacking today.

I might call it a early night tonight... Not going to bed right now, but just sayin'. Tomorrow I donate blood!

What are your opinions on Peanut Butter? Harry Potter?

Lazy Days Are Wonderful and a Curse

So very true, isn't it? I can't believe it's already 10.

Seeing as my body doesn't think it's a good idea to sleep in when the clock changes, I ended up waking up at 7 am. Eh. That meant it was time for my Sunday run.

For some reason, Sunday runs are the ones that kill me. Today was a marvelous example of that. It was only 3 miles, but everything was bothering me. First it was my arch, then began the lovely stomach pains and cramps. Ick. Add a sports bra that's too loose and you've got what I was dealing with this morning. However, as soon as I stopped everything stopped bothering me. That tends to happen.

I started out the day productive, but then it took a turn. Started watching some Hulu, went on a stroll for lunch with the room mate, and as soon as I got back to the dorm was asked to go to the movies. Of course I went.

We went to see Due Date. My opinion? Wasn't very good. The movie tried to be funnier than it was... There were some funny lines, but not enough to make a substantially funny film.

All in all, I am not prepared for the week to restart. I did end up getting some work done in the evening, but it still feels like there's so much more to do! There's always something to get done, isn't there?

How do you feel about lazy Sundays?

Concerts and Running Stores

I am tired. That's all I want to really say now because my brain can't function, but I shall explain my doings as of late.

The concert that I went to yesterday was Two Door Cinema Club, and it was a blast! The first band that played was kind of eh, the second band was fun, and when TDCC came on awesomenest ensued. Their music= catchy and fun. The only negative thing I have to say about the concert? People can be jerks at concerts. Just sayin'.

I ended up staying the night up in the area, and today I went shopping for running shoes! The reasoning? Randomly this week my mom texted me saying I should. Why? Because she started spending a lot of time on her feet and it made her think of how much running I've been doing. Truthfully, I should have changed my shoes a LONG time ago. I've been stubborn. I love my old shoes, and I've been used to them! However, I may have had them for... three years now. That's through two seasons of cross country, one summer of running camp, random increments of running through time, and my recent running. Last month alone I ran 65 miles. I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure that goes a tiny bit past the 300 miles mark of getting new shoes.

I decided to visit Road Runner Sports to get my gait figured out and all of that. It turns out (but doesn't really surprise me) that my left arch is really high, even higher than my right arch. Might be why it's been hurting lately? After looking at a few shoes, I ended up getting these beauts:

I thought I wouldn't be able to find a shoe I liked. I've tried, but everything has felt heavy or wrong. These felt good. It'll be interesting to try them out!

Being in the store seeing all of the fancy running toys made me want to work harder at having a runner persona! I think I need to work more on continuing my running before spending money on toys.

The rest of the day included watching my cousin play basketball at her school and driving home in terrible weather, in the dark, and a GPS leading me into the middle of no where. But as we can see, I am clearly alive.

Ah, getting this posted right before midnight! I better hurry!

How do you shop for running shoes?

7 Miles and The Evil Train

Say it with me:

7 MILES!!! I can't believe it! And ooh boy, this run was a toughie.

The reason for being one of my harder runs, other than the length? I was feeling icky through a lot of it and...

This mofo. Freakin' screwed up my trail! You see, my path is a little father than the next town over and back. Crossing this path is a train track. When it was time for me to go back, this lovely fellow was crossing. It was one of the slowest, longest trains I had ever seen. I ended up running around Independence in a lot of loops like a crazy person. It did distract me though which is good I suppose.

As you can see, this is what my runkeeper says I ran I always run a little bit farther than my planned amount because I don't trust the GPS enough. Pretty sweet, eh?

Since I ran and had weight training today, the hunger beast has truly emerged. To please it, I have been chowing down on plenty of carbs. One of the things I decided to try again this morning was oatmeal. This time I got a smaller bowl, that way there was more peanut butter to make it taste good. Oh, and chocolate chips.

And you know what? It wasn't too bad! ... At first. Then when coming to the end where the peanut butter was gone, the taste was icky again. Eh.

I've got to go drive down to Portland now for the concert my sister bought me a ticket for! See you all later!

What's the farthest you've run? How did you feel?

The Obsession With Pumpkin

The week draws to a close, and the weekend approaches with much anticipation! Who else is pumped?

This morning during Individual Health Fitness, we did yoga. Around the blog world, Yoga seems to be one of the most incredible things ever created. That along with Whole Foods and oatmeal My verdict? Not my thing. Yes, there are some poses that are enjoyable to me such as the Warrior poses. Unfortunately, my workout mentality is that I want to be continuously doing something, so that time flies by. Yoga is definitely not that. Perhaps I should give it a chance, especially since I've been trying to incorporate some flexibility exercises into my life... We'll just see.


Upwards Dog, you hurt my back. Boo to you.

Since we're on the subject of workouts, today's run was the type of workout that I just wanted to get the 4 miles in as quickly as possible. My time? 35.3 minutes! Booyah! Plus I played a little tennis today. What a workout day!

It's been one of those days where I've been ravenous all day! (Gee, looking at what's written above, I wonder why...) I also have to write up a dietary analysis of what I've been eating. Isn't it always when you're at your worst that people end up watching what you do? It's one of the rules of the universe.

Autumn has come in full swing, seeing as it's already November. The leaves are falling, the days are cool, and holiday spirit is creeping into people. One of the favorite subjects on everyone's mind during this time are the fall treats that come around. The biggest fall food celebrity? That would be the pumpkin. People become OBSESSED with pumpkin everything.Pumpkin themed foods? It's on. Pumpkin flavored beverages at Starbucks? Mass hysteria. And how could you miss pumpkin pie? When Valsets first served pumpkin pie, I was informed multiple times with sheer excitement. All this talk of pumpkin may have you wondering, "Where is she going with this?" Well, it's simple. I'm not a fan of pumpkin.
GASP! Who isn't a fan of pumpkin?! Me, that's who. I just don't understand the hype. Perhaps it is such a big deal due to the fact that it's only available at certain times. It's a special treat that gives you good vibes. Maybe I just don't have that loving vibe. Or maybe I just haven't had the perfect pumpkin treat. Truthfully, I used to really like pumpkin pie. Now it's eh, even a little icky.
I just thought I would talk about this since there's so much love for the strange orange gourd. It's a bit overwhelming. Am I simply missing something big here?


I will never understand you pumpkin

Personally, I'd rather go for something that has cream cheese or chocolate.

This blog is feeling too middle-school journally for me, so I thought I would write something a little different. Honestly, I need to work on my writing skills anyways. I'll try to write about something different as much as possible, to give this blog a little variety!

Hope y'all have a lovely evening. I might actually *gasp* get some homework done early! Madness.

How do you feel about pumpkins? Do you have a favorite fall treat?

Sporatic Awakenings and A Look at the Dorm Room

Today is one of those days where it just seemed to rush by. I can't believe it's already Wednesday actually. As the writer of The Happiness Project puts it, "The days are long but the years are short." Ain't that the truth.

Last night I ended up waking up multiple times.  I have no idea why. Once during the night, I got out of bed, got all of my things out for breakfast, and wandered out into the hallway. It seemed strange that some people were out that usually aren't up at that time... Then I looked at my phone and discovered it was 1 AM. Goodness gracious. I didn't go out in the hall again, but I did wake up a few more times thinking it was time to get up.

I think this is my body telling me to just listen to my alarm clock...

I forgot my Student ID when getting lunch today. Felt pretty ridiculous. Luckily, my room mate was around and she bought my lunch for me. How nice! Now I owe her luhch.

Last midterm was today! YES. After that excruciating time, the day seemed to zip by. There were my other two classes, lunch, shower, quick assignment to finish, and then I ran some educational errands as I like to call them. Basically that means talking to professor-type figures about information, printing stuff off, etc.

After some dinner, I came back to the room and started cleaning. Honestly, I've become surprisingly clean at college. I clean my dorm a lot more than I ever cleaned my room at home. That brings us to a tour of my dorm! Aren't you excited?

Behold the typical Ackerman dorm! My room mate is on the left, I'm on the right. Here is a comparison of our cleanliness. My side:

And my room mate's side:

Now, it's true that I have a slight advantage here, seeing as I picked up a bit. However, the messiest I get are some clothes on the floor, some papers scattered on the desk. My side is off and on a bit cluttered. Her side has been like this since before classes even began. Her though process is this:
*Looks at side*
"I should really clean..."
*Goes on Facebook for 3 hours* (Seriously, how can you spend that long on Facebook? What is there to DO?)
Enough about her. Let's explore, shall we?

Here's my changing station. There's my clothes, some jewelry, and two bags full of cans. Because it was my great idea to collect cans for a deposit, they all reside on my side. Moving on!

This is my desk. What you see here are some papers, my books, my gummy multivites, and a ridiculous goose object. My room mate has this strange... habit I guess? She and my other friend like buying me gifts from the thrift store at home. They look for the most bizarre thing they can find. That goose was my birthday present this year.

 This is where the paint came off the wall from the wall attachment stuff the school suggested. Seriously, why suggest something that TAKES THE PAINT OFF? I think they just suggested it so they could charge us with damages.

 Here is the windowsill. This is where my shower things reside.

Welp, I hope you enjoyed that little tour! It's time for me to relax, especially since I have no homework due until Monday! Yes.
As a little parting gift, here's a look at what ny room mate's desk looks like:

There's more and more everyday. Goodness. Hope everyone has a lovely evening!

What does your living area look like? Are you messy or clean?

Tripping Over Myself and Arch Support

I always have trouble starting out a post. It's hard to try to think of something clever to draw the reader in!

Before even getting to class for my English midterm, I was greeted with bad karma by tripping on the stairs. I'm okay, but not a great sign. I even ended up ripping some of my best tights right on the knee! Boo.

On the other hand, I think I actually did decently on the midterm. The first two parts I had down pretty well, but I'm a tad worried about the essay. We'll just see what happens. That means there's only one midterm left, History! It's the one I'm dreading the most, but I've studied up for it! I'm ready to get it over with!

I ran 5 miles today, first run of November! I need to start mapping out courses because the treadmill is not joyful for long distances. It's boring. It can be nice, but it gets old.

My left arch has been bothering me lately, and I was wondering why until I thought of a strange habit I have. You see, when sitting I tend to end up sitting on my left foot. Why? I honestly can't tell you. I should probably stop now if it's gonna mess with my arch!

I'm not really sure where to reply to comments, so I'll just say it here- Thanks! And yeah, turning off the celluar device is probably really useful.

I'll keep it short tonight so I'll leave ya'll with a picture of how lovely campus looked today:



Isn't fall grand?

What's an odd habit you have?

Continuation of Midterms and Computer Addiction

It's almost time to go to bed, and I almost forgot a daily post! My goodness, I don't want my streak to end do I?

The first and easiest midterm of the week= completed! I feel like I did pretty well on it, even though there were some questions that were not worded nicely... Just sayin'. Two more midterms to go! English tomorrow... I can do it!

It's crazy how much of our world revolves around computers nowadays. We use them for school, entertainment, news, everything! However, if you're anything like me you have a hard time of actually getting anything done when on the computer. Whether it's facebook like everyone else in my generation or reading blogs like me, it can really suck away your time. That brings me to a little challenge for everyone out there: Turn the computer off. At least try to spend a little less time on it. I've noticed how much more I get done when it's turned off, even if it's little things. Last night I cleaned up a surprising amount of things up. When I studied and had my computer off, I ended up soaking up a lot. It's really beneficial!

Another thing that's on my mind is the lack of photos on my blog as of late. I need to remember to take pictures! The only thing stopping me is the lack of interesting scenery... I need to stop making excuses is what I need to do.

It's time for me to get away from the computer for tonight! Maybe do a little more review?

What is your computer obsession? Obsession in general?