Monday, February 28, 2011

Time Flies and Jinxing Oneself

I honestly can't believe that tomorrow is March.

March! Can you believe it? That means spring is coming as well!  What is this?

I think this week is going to be another one of those where everything just builds up to Wednesday night, and finally cools down Thursday evening. Because let's see... An exam an speech on Thursday? Oh joy.

Tonight I tried out for something! I want to keep the details on the DL for now just because I always get nervous that I'll jinx it. Think about it: You go on to everyone gloating about something, and everyone starts getting excited. Then they start pumping up for it... but then you don't get it. And they don't know why they got excited about it. Let's just say it involved impromtu singing and dancing... Yeah.

No new thing I learned from a fictional character today. I suppose I don't really have much inspiration tonight.
Night everyone!

Do you usually tell everyone about a big What-if, or do you keep it more secret in order to not jinx it?

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Oscars Predictions

I've been quiet about it during the week. Yet in real life, I've been all stirred up for the event happening tonight.

That's right. It's the 83rd Academy Awards tomorrow.

Have I been planning things all week for it? You bet I have! That of course also means I've been thinking about who is going to take home the little gold man for themselves.

With that, I'd like to throw in my opinions of who should win an Oscar. I won't bore you with my opinions of who I think will win tomorrow, simply because we've heard the same ideas for who's going to take home gold a million times.

For Best Picture: Everyone's been saying that The King's Speech is a shoe-in to win, but The Social Network is more of a movie for my generation. I'd have to strongly disagree with that statement. I personally loved The King's Speech, and I was not a very big fan of The Social Network. Especially that ending? It was a moment of, "Are you kidding me?" The reason I'd like to say The King's Speech should win is because it overall was amazing. Fantastic cast, pleasing to the eyes, a story that will make you smile and feel sad... Just overall wonderful.

Actor In a Leading Role: As much as I love Colin Firth, I almost want Jessie Eisenburg to get some love for the Social Network. However, then I look back and think the only reason that Colin Firth doesn't stand out more is simply because the cast is such a good group of actors. And the utter fear that Colin Firth shows in the first few minutes of the movie? It's completely perfect.

Actress In a Leading Role: Yes, I'm going with Natalie Portman like everyone else, but it's not only because of the vigorous training that she went through to prepare for the role. It's incredible to watch her throughout the film because she's able to flip her personality at the snap of a finger. Also, she's able to actually portray her dancing styles differently when she either the Black Swan or the White Swan. Now that's some serious skill, considering her lack of dance background before this.

Actor in a Supporting Role: Oh man, this is the hardest one yet! The thing that makes it so hard is that my two top ones stole the show from the leading men. I'm in between Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech and Christian Bale for The Fighter. What makes it so hard is that they both did so well, but for different reasons! Bale was great because of his over the top performance, but Rush had an amazing performance that was extremely subtle! I honestly have to go with Geoffrey Rush, because in an amazing cast he stood out the most. Plus, he didn't have to act crazy to do it, which in the situation is incredible.

Actress in a Supporting Role: I didn't see Animal Kingdom, but I heard the woman in that is really good. My choice on the other hand is Amy Adams. Sure, I'm a little biased since I loved her before, but I think that she did really well in this role. It's also a type of role she hasn't really done before, yet I still believed her.

Animated Feature Film: Do we really have to ask? Toy Story 3.

Cinematography: I almost want to automatically just go with Inception, but how visually pleasing was it really? Yes, the visual effects were outstanding, but does that count as great cinematography? I think I want to go with True Grit for this one. The feel of it just worked.

Visual Effects: If Inception didn't get this for making the most awesome scene ever, the world would cry.

Best Director: Gotta give this one to David Fincher for The Social Network. He was able to make the world of Facebook and a couple of rich kids arguing over loads of money a lot more intriguing than it should be. Honestly, you think about it afterwards and realize: "Wow. These guys already have tons of money. Now they are freaking out about more money. Plus they're all super geniuses.  I really feel bad for you."


I could go on and on and on... but I think that's enough out of me, don't you think? I hope y'all have fun watching the Oscars tonight!

Who do you want to win tonight?

Saturday, February 26, 2011

There's Something About Saturdays...

..That means I won't end up getting very much work done.

Other than going on an adventure run around town, I'm not sure how much I actually accomplished for the day.

I blame the fact that I woke up at 10:00 today. That's the latest I've woken up in... quite some time now.


How is it already almost midnight? Ah well. Night everyone!

Friday, February 25, 2011

The Illusion of Spring Shut Down

Brr!

Every year, I always forget about the little tricks that Oregon likes to pull. It'll make you believe that Spring is coming, with the sudden change to warmer weather. Oregonians start wearing shorts, because supposively 48 degrees is high enough for that. You get excited and...

POW! The coldness comes back, in a hard way.

It was so freaking cold today! The sun was shining brightly, but it was about 28 degrees out for most of the day with extreme wind chill.

The coldness did not stop me and two of my hall mates to go on a walk out there, but it ended up being a walk full of everyone saying how cold they were.

I'm hoping that it decides to get a little warmer tomorrow.

Have you been surprised with a sudden cold shock in your homefront recently?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Snow Days and Registration

Today has certainly been an amusing day, thanks to the PMSing woman that is Oregon.

I woke up this morning, not entirely looking forward to the upcoming events. However, I was soon distracted when I woke up to a winter wonderland.

I decided to go about my day anyways, and walked off to breakfast. It when I passed by a couple of guys talking that my day suddenly took a turn for the better as I heard, "Yea, the campus is closed until 10." Which meant the essay I had spent all day finishing up yesterday had no need to be finished. This was part good, part bad in the mindset that I had spent so much time before writing it, but it was done. Now I had two more hours to study for my Public Speaking midterm #2!

...Which was then cancelled, making my day 1000 times less stressful! Ah...

The other big thing on the agenda for today happened to be registering for classes. Yes, it's that time again.
My first two terms have been surprisingly easy to organize, and I've been able to get all of the classes I desire. This term has been a bit more difficult.

There's nothing like seeing the spaces in classes slowly fill up as you impatiently wait your turn to sign up. Oh dear.

The good news? I was able to make a decent schedule. The bad news? I still need/want to add one more class, but the ones I want are fitting in oddly. What can you do, I suppose.

My weekend is officially on! Huzzah! ...Now would be a good time to start on the studying for finals/speeches/projects for the last three weeks.

What have your experiences with registering for classes been like?

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Topic of Twitter

Oof. There's just something about Wednesdays, isn't there? It's like my week just builds up tension until Thursday, then there's a sigh of relief.

Now let's change to something completely different, shall we?

Technology is an incredible thing. It's amazing how ideas have been formed and molded into something no one thought was even possible ten years ago. (Perhaps even less than that!) Just think of the telephone. First there was the simple idea of communicating with someone far away without shouting to them in the distance. There were people who actually did that, it's true. That led to the telephone... which led to the cell phone. I didn't think I was supposed to feel old at 19, but I remember when there was a CAMERA on a phone! First you can take it anywhere, but now you can take pictures too? Then we take a look at today, where I pretty much could live on a desert island with only my cell phone. Plus now it's "You don't even have a camera on your phone? Poor thing!"

With the world become a technological utopia, there are some forms of technology that I have not latched myself onto. Sure, much of the rest of the world has attached themselves to these things, but there is one specific technology that I simply haven't gotten into. This is going to make me sound like an elderly person who just doesn't understand what "the Facebook" is, but I just can't into one thing:

Twitter.

The more I've thought about it, the more I've kind of wanted to. But the thing is, I don't really have any use of it. From my understanding, it seems only useful for celebrities to make people know even more about their lives or those who write witty one-liners.

Twitter doesn't seem like a bad thing. I've heard stories where Twitter can help peoples' businesses, or help them earn revenue in ways no one has thought of before. However I don't have a business to make. I suppose the business I could be promoting would be myself, but I'm not sure what I would say.

So, I ask you Internet: What is the point of having a Twitter if you are not:

A)A celebrity who has millions of people wondering when they brush their teeth
B)Someone promoting their business, or a business promoting themselves or
C) A narcissistic person who just thinks the world needs to know how they're feeling 24 hours a day in 140 characters or less.

I'm not hating on you if you do have a Twitter. I just don't see the point in having one myself, but I'd like to know if there would be a good reason to have one.

(Besides, I blog about my life. I think about songs I would use in my biopic. I tend to have the looming idea of self-importance, something that is indeed Stuff White People Like. I've got the narcissism thing down pat.)

Therefore, I ask What's a good/bad reason to have a Twitter account?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Computer, Motivation and Distractions

Oh Internet, why must you be filled with so many distracting things?

The biggest problem I have with assignments that involve a computer is that I have the temptation to explore the Internet. Ah well.

The most recent Internet distraction I have found? whitewhine.com. It is quite hilarious. Actually, this talk of the Internet being a distraction sounds like something that would be put on that site.

Hoo boy. Lately I've been feeling like I've been extremely unmotivated. Does this happen regularly before the end of winter term? I cannot say, but all I know is that I better get my rear in gear for these last three weeks.

Well, I suppose that's all from me for this evening.

How do you keep from getting distracted while working on the computer?

Monday, February 21, 2011

Things I Have Learned From Fictional Characters

When I was on my running adventure out in the country last Saturday, I thought of a new Thing I've Learned from Fictional Characters. It was a simple idea at first, but the more I thought about it, the more relevant it seemed to be to more aspects of my life.
Today's little morsel of wisdom comes from Chuckie Finster. If your childhood was anything like mine, you'll recognize that name from the cartoon Rugrats. The knowledge I gained from him wasn't from his overall personality, but a specific episode.

In the episode, the gang participates in some sort of relay race. Chuckie is the last member of the race, but needs to go pee- bad. He's temped to step out of the race, but instead of disappointing his team as soon as he's tagged dashes to the finish line, running through straight to the bathroom. From this I learned (in the best way I can describe it): the faster you go, the sooner you'll be done.

I've had the same type of thing happen to me when out on a run. Suddenly, I have to go to the bathroom really bad. However, I know that if I stop to walk, it'll take me longer to get to a bathroom, making it that much more painful. If I keep running though, I can make it there.

As my mind wandered around this concept, I realized this type of thing can happen in everyday situations too. Let's take for example writing a paper. You can look numbly at that empty Word document for hours. You can spend long stretches of time thinking, "Wow, I should really get that done." This is what would be walking to the finish line. On the other hand, if you just start at that paper, letting no distractions get in your way, you're running towards that finish line. You see what I mean?

It's basically the Coulda Woulda Shoulda idea. No Could. No Should. Just do.

Huh. I think I've motivated myself to get a move on on my essay for Thursday.

Night everyone!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Home is the Temporary Disneyland

As the saying goes, "It's great to be home!"

Hmm... There are some moments where I would beg to differ, if that counts school as home.

I ended up spending most of the day back in my hometown, chilling out with some family members. I was able to get some homework done there, but I knew that I should be getting back to the campus to be ready for tomorrow.

My thoughts were having a battle in my noggin, arguing about leaving like a kid leaving Disneyland Park.

"But I don't WANNA leave!!"
"We can come back later, wouldn't that be nice?"
"NO, I want to stay NOW! Home stinks! I'm never going back!"

The thought of hometown being a vacation baffles me. However, it really makes sense when I think about it. Usually when I'm home, I don't eat the most healthy of things. I don't have to clean up my room, or put away my clothes because I don't have enough to clean. I might not have a worksheet for some homework at the home front. Oh well! But you can't forget worksheets at campus, that's where they live.

The home front may not have princess castles or fireworks, but in my mind was my own Disneyland. Or something.

Vacations are nice in a sense that there's no responsibilities, but they're also nice because they are precious and rare. If there was more time for weekends, we wouldn't appreciate them as much.  I also like to believe I work a lot better on a schedule.

Since we're almost back to the regular week, it's time for me to say ta ta and prepare myself for tomorrow. It's already Week 8 of the quarter! I'm so excited!

What place do you think of as your temporary "Disneyland"?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

A Busy Day

Whoo. I have been go go going all day long!
Before I start, I would just like to say what I spend a Friday evening doing.

I spend an evening in a fort, listening to/reading Harry Potter to some Harry Potter newbies. Yeah, that's how we roll.

It simply has been one of those days. A summary of the day would be this:
  • Wake up
  • Go for a run/Do planks
  • Shower
  • Eat Brunch/Lunch with hall
  • Drive to Corvallis
  • Do some clothes shopping
  • Get fabric for costume design
  • Eat American Dream
  • Watch the girl's Civil War basketball game
  • Watch I Am Number Four
And now we're here. I think I need to pass out... But Center Stage is on! Goodness.

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Troy Celebrity Situation

The weekend is here! Huzzah!

Okay, y'all already know how I feel about Community, so you know that I've already watched this week's episode. One of the plot points of this episode that stood out to me was from Troy meeting Levar Burton from Reading Rainbow. When he greets Troy, Troy becomes as stiff as a board, eyes bulged out of his skull. Later when see him freaking out in an empty room, crying, "I TOLD PIERCE A THOUSAND TIMES! I NEVER WANTED TO ME LEVAR IN PERSON! I JUST WANTED A PICTURE! YOU CAN'T DISAPPOINT A PICTURE!!"
Reading Rainbooow...

This got me thinking of what I would now like to call the Troy Celebrity Situation. We all have our favorite celebrities, but there are some that you just know you'd be extremely awkward in front of. Sure, I have a kind of a schoolgirl crush on Darren Criss, but I don't think I'd be awkward talking to him. It's not even Colin Firth who would cause me to make a fool out of myself. (Well, I'd like to think not.) The person who would cause my Troy Celebrity Situation would be...

Neil Patrick Harris.

It's true that Neil Patrick Harris is another actor who I enjoy, but that's not the whole reason I would look like an idiot. Here's just some examples of mentally incapable things I might end up spouting:

"My first reference to you was in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle! I thought that's how you actually acted!" HahaNO.

"The ending of Dr.Horrible's Sing a Long Blog makes me cry every time!" That's just sad.

"For my birthday one year, a friend of mine gave me a shirt saying 'What Would NPH Do?'" ...That's not terrifying at all. (Actually, it was a pretty funny gift. That's what we basically said for everything we did that year. But no.)

You see what I mean? No one wants to creep out one of their favorite celebrities! When I become a superstar and actually end up facing a conversation with NPH, I'll have to figure out what to say. But for now, I'll just have to brainstorm.

Who would be your Troy Celebrity Situation star?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Class of Conceptual Simplicity and Superheroes

Sometimes, we're faced with a class that we expect to be simple. The idea of the class is something you're good at, so you should do fantastic right? Unfortunately you're greeted with not so pleasing results. That's the current state of me and Public Speaking. I've worked my rear off for her stupid speeches, yet nothing is quite perfect enough for her! I'm just ticked that I'm most likely going to end up with a B in a class matter I should be getting an A in. Rrrgh.
I simply needed to get that off my chest. Now for something completely different!

Usually my little mail slot is lacking in the magazine category (or mail category for that matter), but today I was greeted with the most wonderful sight ever:

Dear mom, you are amazing. Especially since the subscription to the magazine wasn't originally mine to begin with. However, seeing how now I shriek like a Justin Bieber fan at any new issue, I think there's a valid reason my mom thought of me.
It's funny really. I act like the new issue of Seventeen or some fashion magazine when I get a new issue. Don't get me wrong, I love those magazines too. Yet... nothing compares. I read the articles thinking, "Oh my gosh, I totally thought that same thing!" You can bet this is how I was acting when reading the Oscar predictions.

In the pages of the EW, there was quite a bit of talk about superhero movies. With the addition of the Fantastic Four playing on the TV while I was working out, I knew that I simply needed to discuss superheroes.

I'd like to think a large chunk of my life has consisted with a never ending stream of superhero movies. Therefore, there are a lot of superheroes to choose from in figuring out who is your favorite. I'm pretty sure that most people have a favorite superhero, even if they aren't a big fan of the genre. My top superhero? Definitely Batman.


Nananananananana BATMAN!
Why? I don't think I need to explain how freakin' cool he is. Yet, Christian Bale isn't my favorite superhero actor. My favorite superhero actor is Robert Downey Jr. just 'cause I like him as an actor. I think it's his facial expressions.

Oh, on the topic of the new Superman? He looks... like he's supposed to be Superman.
I believe that's enough chatter of superheroes for awhile, yes?

Who's your favorite superhero?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Infectious Professors and The Case for the Out of Place Raisins

I'm now starting to believe that it is perfectly acceptable to lip sync to your itunes.

Anywho. Hello everyone! Can you believe that it's already Wednesday evening? Seriously, I'm not sure I can.

On Monday at ten o'clock, my Spanish professor walked into the classroom with a cold. Sitting in the front row as she hacked her head off in my direction, I should have know what was imminent.

For you see, I was greeted at 7:00 AM on Tuesday with a sore throat. Today, it's added the sniffles and drained my energy. It's sufficient to say that I've stocked up on the OJ

And some spray butter that I don't have much use for.
 The peculiar thing about this whole situation came when I entered the classroom for the exam today. When I said that I had gotten sick on Tuesday, the profesora accused me of getting her sick.
...Who was the one coughing on me? Yeah.

They say that students that sit towards the front of classrooms are more likely to get the higher grades. Higher grades or a healthy immune system? What's more important?

Speaking of said exam, I have a question for all y'all out there.

Say you have the option of putting raisins in either fruit salad or rice pudding. Where do you put them? I honestly have no idea, especially since I do not partake in the gag-worthy dessert known as rice pudding. Also, who puts raisins in a fruit salad? Honestly.
If you're completely confused, I had to use the Spanish vocabulary in my exam to put the ingredients with the food. A language test is worrisome enough, now I have to actually analyze the questions?

All this fuss over raisins. My goodness.

The rest of the evening for me includes eating a late dinner with a breakfast theme/pirate theme. And a band. You read that right.

Have you ever gotten sick from a teacher? And where would you put raisins? (Bizarre questions, I know. That's all I've got.)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Disappearing Days and Odd Running Habits

It's another one of those days that seemed to simply dissipate into thin air.

Have you ever had those days where you felt like you were busy all day, yet still feel like you didn't get anything done? That's exactly how today felt.

I suppose I did study for my Spanish exam tomorrow... yet when you have no physical work to show for it, somehow it feels like less.

Today I went for a run, and I'd just like to state that Oregon is back to its rainy self. Seriously.
When I started running, there was no rain. Alas, as I ran back home it was pouring.

If you were to ever watch me running, it would be an extremely odd sight. The odd thing is not my form, because I run in a pretty standard form. It's what I do while I run that is just peculiar.
When I run on the treadmill, you can see me lip syncing to whatever song that is playing on the trusty ipod. I used to be self conscious of it, but now I really don't care.
As for outside, I tend to look like I'm delivering something. I've ran with DVDs in my hand, books, kettle corn... Today I think topped all of my past running looks. If you were to see me running today, you would have seen a girl soaked to the bone carrying a discount bag of dark chocolate kisses and talking on the phone. That's just how I roll.

Once again I ask, where has this day gone? That's life.

What odd things have you done while exercising?

Monday, February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day

We all know what day it is.
It's Monday! Just kidding it's Valentine's Day.

I've gone through phases where I've been all about Valentine's Day, and also gone through the SCREW VALENTINE'S DAY ARG phases. This year, I'm slightly apathetic.

I've never had the best love life luck. I distinctly remember one year I made a valentine for a guy I like. However, I didn't want people to get too suspicious, so I ended up making Valentines for all of my friends. But, I did make the message inside extra special from the heart! ...Yeah, too subtle Hannah.

Thankfully, I've learned from those ridiculous days. Still, I continue to struggle in the dating department. Why? I'm way to picky.
I'm working on it!
Really, I don't have much to celebrate. I'm not set up on any blind dates, and I don't have a boyfriend/fiance/husband. That leaves me in the "Well, what am I supposed to do?" group. Eh. Alas, I'm not in the mood to be a Debbie Downer on everyone's parade. Toss your Single's Awareness Day vibe behind! Don't snarl at the pink hearts! Join in the festivities, even if it's with your friends!

I spend most of the day working on a speech. Aw yeah.

Oh, and also... I got y'all a Valentine gift!

I made you a mix tape. Oh snap.

And that's what I learned from a fictional character for this week. Make a mix tape for people, especially the mother of your child.
I'll post a real one next week.

Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The Truffle Shuffle and Touring the Town

I am tired, finally clean after a whole day of  being gross, and have a delightful food baby taking up my stomach. Sure, I still have some homework to finish up, (only a few more questions, don't worry!), I probably ate way too much, and spend more on eating out than I should have, but I have no regrets. I just had a pretty good day.

This last Friday, my mom told me about a 4 mile race happening in Eugene on Sunday. I decided, why not run it? I get a truffle for running it.

Therefore, today I ran the Truffle Shuffle.

There's nothing like running a race to spice up your running routine. As an added bonus, I'm pretty sure I ran at a much faster pace than my usual four mile runs. Sweet. *I just looked online at the results. 34:19!! WHAT?!? That's way faster than usual!

One of the other reasons for my trip down south was to get a look at the college campus down there. I'm considering going down there for many reasons, including fields of study. Luckily, my sister happens to be a student, so she was able to give me a nice little tour.

Exploring the campus down there is a crazy experience. I felt like I was in one of those classes where your mind is crammed full of knowledge, and you're not sure what information to safely store in your noggin.
So the day equated out to= Lots of walking+Lots of driving+A little bit of running. Oh, and eating out twice in one day, which is unusual for me.

And perhaps some extra treats as well.

Now, it's past my desired bedtime, but eh. I'm a college student, I should live.

What's been one of the more interestingly themed sporting events you've participated in? I think Truffle Shuffle is a pretty interesting one!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Running Adventures Out of the Ordinary

Right now, I'm using the blogger app on my phone, and I am loving it! Yes, I probably could wait to type it on my computer, but I just downloaded it yesterday and just wanted to try it out.
Before I start sounding more like an advertisement, let's talk about other things.
Now that I'm not officially training for any running event, my runs have become less structured. When training, I would run specific routes since I had to get that certain mileage, but now it doesn't matter as much. With that, my run today was an adventure! I decided to explore the suburban area of the town and beyond. What I discovered was that the farther you live away from main street, the nicer your house looks. I ended up seeing some pretty nice homes. Along with that, the houses were all different! Houses ranged from having a Victorian feel to looking like homes you would see in a sunny state like Arizona.
My run even led me into the country. It was just a great run with everything: hills, twists and turns, country stretches... Fantastic.
Other events for the day included finishing an application for a job (that's truly a feat for me), and swimming around for my little cousin's 3rd birthday.
Bah... Where did all of this rain come from? Oh right, Oregon. Have a lovely evening!

For all of you runners out there: Is your running more structured or more wherever the road takes you?

Friday, February 11, 2011

Blissfully Ignorant and Visiting Places of the Past

My biggest problem with blogging is trying to start the post of the day. Once I actually start writing, it's hard to get me to stop!

Today included an impromptu trip back to the good ol' hometown. I needed to get a copy of my high school transcripts and decided that I would put my change into my savings account.

Do you ever have those moments where you're blissfully ignorant of a situation, then as you leave slowly come to a realization? That was me in the bank today. As I tucked away my box of change and five dollars in ones into my savings, the women hands me a flyer. "This is a great tool to use online for saving money on car payments, cell phones, etc..." I cheerfully listened to her, but as she talked I noticed her tone and expression were that of the sympathetic kind. She looked at me like I was someone down on their luck... I bet she thought I was a stripper or something with my bizarre deposit. In case you're wondering, the ones were part of my monthly savings I'm trying to do.

Maybe that wasn't the case, but it sure seemed like it.

Getting my transcript meant walking back into the education institute known as my high school. I was only in there for about two minutes, but it was the strangest feeling. I didn't recognize ANYONE. It's only been a year, yet... Weird.

I suppose that's all I have to talk about for the day. Have a lovely evening!

When was the last time you walked into your high school? What was it like?

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Taking the Next Step, Then Taking the Extra Step

If you've learned any life lessons through your years, you've probably heard this idea: Take the leap! Go for it! 90% of Indie movies tend to have this concept as the moral of the story. Then the awkward skinny dude ends up getting the way too hot for him chick, and... well, I digress. (Except for 500 Days of Summer, because Joseph Gordon-Levitt is adorable.)

Anywho. Why I'm stating this today is because I reevaluated my "Go for it"-ness. I realized that I'm not as go for it as I thought.
You see, I may seem like I am a go for it person. (If you were in my head, you would agree.) I'll find out about something. I'll start studying it up, looking up all sorts of dates, information, everything I would need to be able to do that things. I'll be at the point where I'm just about to do it! ...Until suddenly at the last second, I pull away. I'd like to think of it like those cartoons where the character is about to cannonball into a pool. They'll make a running start, jump right over the pool... Then they pause in mid air, look down, scramble about where they're paused, and run away.

One of the reasons I seem to have this problem is because I think of too many hypothetical situations. It's not bad that I'm thinking of different options, it's simply the problem of thinking, "Well, if I end up doing this, then I can't do this, but if I do this..." This leads up to the inevitable point of ending up with none of the ideas.

I know I'm not the only one out there with this problem. This goes along with people who say they'll start their diets tomorrow, or they'll clean up their messes when they have more time. It's time to start now, dangit! Even if it's little by little, I'll take that step! You should too, if there's something you've been thinking about doing.

With that, I am going to apply for that job. And talk to those professors about taking their classes next term. And see if there's a chance I could get into that program.

Woo! Feel the passion! ... Okay, perhaps it's time I go to bed.

What things are you nervous about taking the next step in?

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The Feelings of Winning and Losing

There I sat, staring at my hands in front of me. Two of my fingertips throbbing, I couldn't concentrate because they reminded me of what had happened before. After what seemed to be a day of pure winning, I was overcome with the sense of failure.

Before I continue into what appears to be an odd attempt at writing with wit, let's observe why the day had started out with the extreme feeling of success.

I love it when teachers adore me. I believe it's because I have this slightly twisted idea that somehow, I've won. To explain it, it's almost as if it's a game to do well in a class. One of the objectives in achieving this goal includes having the teacher like you. If they like you, they're more likely to give you a good grade. Perhaps this isn't the best mindset to have, but I can't help it! The reason I mention all of this is because my History professor adores me. I'm pretty sure she wants me to go into history. I can't help but feel cocky!

The other shining light in my day came in my Spanish class next, when I got my Examen 8 back. There was a lovely little A at the top of the test. Basically, the day felt like an incredible win.

Why the feeling of failure then? It all started when I decided that I was going to donate blood. Of course, donating blood would make you feel pretty great, right? I would have too... If I was allowed to. You see, apparently my iron levels were too low.
I couldn't believe it. The last two times I've donated, they told me I had an excellent amount of iron. Alas, that was not the case today. They pricked two of my fingers, just to make sure. Yes, please repeat my least favorite part of the donating process twice, thank you. I like having bruises on my fingertips.

I staggered away from the donation site, overcome with a feeling of utter failure. What had I done wrong? I ate red meat. I ate a healthy diet. That brings us back to where we were at the beginning of this post. I was even provided with a note explaining why I still had the normal amount of blood in my veins. The letter was like a note from the principal explaining that I wasn't being a good student. It mocked me.

Now that I've had time to register my thoughts, I realize it's not so bad. We have our wins and our losses, and today was definitely a sign of that. Still, I have to wonder why my iron was low. I've lost some weight since I last donated, though it hasn't felt like it. I haven't taken multivitamins in awhile either. I just hate that feeling.

Life is life. I need to stop worrying about it and move on. I've got a lot of things to think about, but not being able to donate blood isn't one of them. (Although, I should probably watch out.)

Night to you all! Let's all have a wonderful tomorrow!

Do you usually have good days and bad days, or is everyday a mix of good and bad?

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Rekindling Old Creative Flames

Even though I use my hands everyday to type and to write, I used my hands for something I haven't done in quite a long time. Wandering around the WUC, drawn over by the tunes on my ipod, the piano pulled me in.
All the way into high school, I took piano lessons. Honestly, I could have been really good, but I never practiced. I think it was the mindset of if I had to do it, it wasn't fun. Yet a certain tune that I've been listening to made me ponder: I could probably play this on the piano.
I used the song on my ipod to figure out what the notes were as best I could. Right now, this is how far I've gotten:

A bit rough, but not too shaby! I can't figure out the next note for the left hand right now, but I'll learn it soon enough. I forgot how much I really love playing music! After my work is done for the day tomorrow, I'll be sure to make my way back to a piano again.

As for the rest of the day, it was just another average day. I did end up watching Glee... and then staying out at the television with the group for the next two shows. Whoops.

Good evening to all!

Have you ever played an instrument? What instrument?

Monday, February 7, 2011

Advisors, Room mates, and Things I Have Learned from Fictional Characters

Now that all of that Superbowl fun is done, let's get on with the week, shall we?

Who watched the Superbowl out there, anyway? I asked around my hall and no one was watching it! How disappointing. Perhaps it's just because I enjoy football and the commercials. Seriously, even if you don't like football, you watch it for the commercials, right? Here's my favorite:

...That sounds a bit odd, watching television to see advertisements. Anywho.
Of course, I was a fool and forgot my camera, so no pictures of the festivities. I really ought to get better at that. Stories are more fun to read with pictures, aren't they?

I had a meeting with my advisor today to discuss majors, next term, and career paths. Also known as the advising hold appointment. I met with my "official" advisor, who was a nice guy. At first, I felt like he was just another one of the advisors who tell you just the basic details, but he was really able to go in-depth with me. He was... dare I say it? Helpful! That's not always the case.
The odd thing about making advising appointments and such is that I feel a lot more on top of things than other students. I've asked if other people had made their appointments, and some of them didn't even know it was time to do that yet. When showing my advisor all of the things I'd been thinking about, he even mentioned how ahead I was in studying up information on these things than other students. It just seems... odd. Aren't I supposed to be lax like other people my age? More power to me I guess.

When looking up classes to add next term, I decided I was just going to look at classes that sounded intriguing. One that caught my eye? C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling. OH MAN YES. Despite being a higher level, I talked to someone who knew the teacher, and that the only thing you need to do is read all of the books beforehand. Um, spring break by the pool? Entirely doable.

Speaking of books, Julie and Julia came into the library for me today. I know that it's very 2009, but I want to read it! Reading about cooking and food make me want to learn how to cook.

Before I forget, it's once again Monday and I'd like to include a Things I Have Learned From Fictional Characters. I'll make it short, since this post is already pretty long. Today's lesson comes from Goofy:

Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself. We all make mistakes, we all have times were we look... goofy. Do we freak out about it? No! I know that I've gotten pretty bad about things that aren't that large, and I've gotten better at not being so tense about it.

Okay, I lied. I do have one last thing to say. As you know, I've had some tension with my room mate. The thing is, one of the main reasons has been because we just hadn't been feeling like friends anymore. However, the last two days she seems like my good ol' pal again. It's nice. I mean, she even bought me a doughnut when she went to Portland!


Old Dirty Bastard. One of the most delicious doughnuts ever.
 How freaking nice is that? But it's not even the doughnut. It's nice to have my friend back.

And so I say adieu to you! Hope your evening is grand!

Was your advisor helpful in school? Or did you have to be more self-relient?

Sunday, February 6, 2011

An Eventful Day

Eventful things happened on this day.

There was family. There was food. There were ridiculous commercials. There were musical numbers.

And there was football.

Source: Official Packers Website
Rock on Packers!

Now it is time to get ready for tomorrow, which includes a midterm and meeting with my advisor. So, this concludes what I have to say today. I still have things to do.

Night! I'll talk more tomorrow.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

The Oddities of the Human Body, Lazy Saturday and The Town

The human body is a strange and complicated thing. Each little part works together, yet has its own special feature. At times, the parts don't always work together the way you think they would.
Starting out on a run this morning, my legs and my upper body felt like two separate entities. It was as if my legs were an excited dog who just couldn't wait to run, and my upper half was the owner being dragged along.

My legs just wanted to go! Maybe it's because I haven't been running very long distances lately. I need something to work for. In other areas of my body being goofy, I've found my elbows are getting calloused. I had no idea why they were like that, until I realized: My elbows are getting calloused from planks. It's so ridiculous I have to just laugh at it!


I can't believe the day has gone by so quickly! I was supposed to get all sorts of work done today, because nothing's going to get done tomorrow. Yet, here were are and it's 10:00 pm. Dangit. Perhaps waking up later in the day has caused my time to disappear. I would not doubt it.

My biggest concern has been writing out a page of note for my History midterm. Our professor allows us a page of notes, which is pretty cool. Yet, writing out that page is somewhat painful. I know the information, I just don't want to write it out! Bah. So what have I done today? Ran, put clothes away, watched The Town. Seriously, what did I do?
Speaking of which, The Town is an odd movie. I won't go all review-y out on you all, but I will say a few things. I had a hard time trying to figure out how I felt about the characters. In one scene, I'd like a certain character, then the next have no pleasantness towards them whatsoever. Along with that, there were just some ideas that were too ridiculous to take seriously. Still, it was an entertaining movie.

I suppose it was nice to have such a chill day, but I'm so anal I feel like I need to get stuff done! Actually in retrospect, I do need to get stuff done. Unlike my room mate who seems to be part cat, I can't sleep all day. I'd like to do well in school, thank you very much.

Goodnight, or Good morning to those of you in different time zones. I'm off to try to study more. ...We'll see how that turns out.

Friday, February 4, 2011

A Tad Off, The Rules of the Universe, Fugitive and Calming Down

Today was just one of those days where I was a tad off. I woke up about two hours later than usual, ate breakfast and lunch two hours later, lifted weights and did planks... You get the picture.
Actually, the day was just kind of odd in general.

One of the many Rules of the Universe came into play today. The rule is, "The one day you dress down and think to yourself, 'It doesn't matter what I'm wearing right now', you will be in a situation that requires you to look decent. Strolling back to the dorms after going to the RSC, I was called out to do an interview. This was the day when I was wearing basketball shorts, sweatshirt, and the skin was not in peak condition. However, being interviewed was pretty cool! The people were recording it to show at a university conference or something to convince other schools to build eco-dorms. Afterwards, I instantly started thinking of things I could have done better,but you know what? Life goes on, and you can't change the past. I need to practice my camera skills still.

The evening was filled with a game of Fugitive. The game happened to be without cars, but it still worked. A few of my hall mates and I signed up, but guess what they did? They didn't show up. Geez, I'm seriously getting tired of people backing out on me all of the time... At least say you're not going before and not at the time of the event!
Alright, I'll stop ranting. I almost came into this post with an angry mood (all I'm going to say is people messing with my cookie dough dip), but I waited. I chilled out a bit, and here we are with a (hopefully!) calm sounding post.

Can I just say Community is one of my favorite shows ever? I might even consider it my favorite show. It seriously makes me laugh out loud for large chunks of time. ...I talk about it a lot, don't I?

Oh my goodness! I've realized that I can never have candy in my room, can I? I simply munch on it constantly! Curse you delicious butterscotches!
Have a lovely evening everyone!

When was the last time you were caught off guard?

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Princess Hair, Cookie Dough Dip and Cousin Study Time

Today, I tried something new. Actually, I've been trying a lot of things news lately... In my appearance that is.
I braided my hair last night to be able to get princess hair the next morning. You may be wondering, what is princess hair? Well, this is princess hair:

You say messy hair, I say princess hair.
I like it, y'know? Just something out of the ordinary. Wavy locks? I think yes. My hair is usually really straight, so a little wavy is fun. I also refer to it as cockerel spaniel hair, because that's what it looks like.

Along with the princess hair, my outfit consisted of a big sweater and leopard leggings. That is definitely not something I would usually wear, but I want to make my wardrobe more entertaining. I'm ready to spice it up.

Earlier today, I embarked on creating a dish unlike any other I had heard of. The dish was almost of mythological standing, a creation only from legends. I created something called Cookie Dough Dip.
I originally saw this recipe posted at Minne Makeover, who got it from the blog How Sweet It Is, who had it sent to her in an email. It just feels like a secret code passed over time to me, but that's just because Cookie Dough Dip sounds like something that isn't allowed to exist. Can you tell I love cookie dough? Since obviously I'm not talking about this enough.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera around while I was making it, so no pictures. Boo. I tried using the camera on my phone, but it was bugging out on me like crazy. It simply couldn't handle the idea of Cookie Dough Dip.

The verdict? Well, it kind of tasted like cream cheese frosting. Perhaps not the product I was imagining, but I adore cream cheese so it wasn't really a loss. I'm taking it over to the Superbowl party at my aunt and uncle's house.

Later in the eve, I ventured over to my cousins' house for studying and hanging out. Cut the studying part out of that and you'll have what the evening really was. My other cousin at the school nearby came too, and it was fun all chilling together. We got to see their new cute little pup as well.

He's from South Africa originally I believe. Another aspect of the night? I now know what's going on in the show Grey's Anatomy... kind of. Just so you know, I don't watch Grey's Anatomy. So... I really don't know who's who or what's what.

Oh, and Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Enjoy the Year of the Rabbit!

What is a bizarre recipe you've tried lately? Did it turn out how you expected?

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Hotty Potty and Chatty Sisters

Spring is coming! At least that's what Phil said. Did everyone remember Groundhog's Day?

Goodness. What the heck happened to this day? It just disappeared!

I might know why, but before I get into that, I would like to introduce you to something. You see, in my dorm there are two single bathrooms on each end of the hall. One of the hall mates on my side decided to do a little decorating to the bathroom. Behold... The Hotty Potty. Be warned, blurry pictures ahead!



Personally, I think it's hilarious. Of course, the RA said someone might be offended, and if so it has to come down. It's an all girls hall. It's all in good fun.

I went up near the Portland area to see my aunt one more time before she goes back to California. I ended up having dinner with her, my other aunt, my grandma and my mother. Seeing a bunch of sisters and their mom talk is quality entertainment if you ever get to see it. Well, at least for my family.
Before I went back, I needed to get one thing at the grocery store. In the company I was in, I ended up with four bags full. Oh goodness.

Now, I am beat. I'm not really sure why, but I've been pretty tired lately. I was planning on squeezing a run in before class tomorrow, but I don't think I'll have time. After class it is!

Who are the interesting members of your family?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Treadmills and My Super Sweet Sixteen

The weather outside has been tricking me. Despite the shimmering golden rays coming down from the sky, the chilly winds have been freezing me to the bone. Outside would actually feel really nice if it wasn't for the snippets of wind that happened to pass by.

Piglet gets what I'm saying.
Because of this, I decided today's run would take place on the RSC treadmills. The longer I've been running, the more I've begun having trouble with the treadmills. There's something about seeing your distance on a machine that makes it that much harder to keep going. However, this was not the case today. Instead, the treadmill and I were BFFs today. I felt good, even with a lingering side ache. It was weird. I usually think, "Okay, after three songs I get to look", but I didn't until after six! Might not sound like a big deal to you, but it was to me.

You're alright treadmill.
I think the reason I had so much ease on the treadmill today was because I was distracted by the TV. The TV tends to be on some of the time, but it's usually Teen Mom or people talking about sports. Today, the show was My Super Sweet Sixteen.

My Super Sweet Sixteen is another one of the horrendous shows that you can find on MTV, but it's kind of like a train wreak. It's awful but you just can't look away. Especially the rich kids who get angry because it was supposed to be a Mercedes and not a Rolls Royce. (Aren't Rolls Royces nicer? I digress.) The whole idea of the show is following around spoiled rich kids as they prepare for birthday celebrations that probably cost as much as a year of school for us normal folk. With the Teen Mom show, they tend to just be sitting around and talking to each other, which is not very entertaining when you can't hear what they're saying. With My Super Sweet Sixteen, you get to see them go around planning all of their extravagant birthday parties.
You definitely think, "They spend that much on WHAT?", but it kind of gets you to start daydreaming about what your "Sweet Sixteen" or whatever party would be like if you had that much money.
I think mine would either be Victorian Style or High fashion... 1920s would be a third choice.

I suppose one day I'll become rich and famous. Then I'll throw the best parties around, for everyone to enjoy. ...I need to think about something else.

Well, off to try something new! See y'all later!

What would be the theme of your "Sweet Sixteen"?