Thoughts to Wrap Up 2013

I don't know if you all remember, but I wrote a blog post at the beginning of 2013 of things I wanted to accomplish this year. Just so you don't have to go looking for it, I'll put the list here.

1. I want to go to a baseball game (doesn't matter if it's in Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, etc. but it will happen.)
2. I want to go to a concert (Company of Thieves is coming to Bloomington this month. Weather permitting, I really want to attend.)
3. I want to visit my sister more (she's getting married! I need to help her plan this wedding!)
4. I want to get up earlier (sleeping in feels like you're wasting the day away.)
5. I want to pay more attention to my cat (and not by means of hacking off her fur...)
6. I want to open a savings account to start saving for moving to Florida.
7. If a movie comes to the theaters that I want to see, I will go see it! I don't need someone to go with me!
8. I want to get all A's in my classes, for the entire year. This includes spring, summer I, summer II, and fall. It can happen!
9. I want to be able to dance. Maybe that means white girl dancing, but I want to be able to dance when out with my friends and not care how I look.
10. I want to visit my friends more. You live in Michigan? Let me drive to Michigan. You live in Massachusetts? Fly to me. (haha) You live in Florida? I'll move in with you. I'm really bad at staying in touch with friends AND THIS MUST IMPROVE.

So, did I accomplish these things?

1. Nope. I did not go to a baseball game. Did I go to any sports games this year? I can't remember. If you went to one with me, please let me know. 

2. I did! I saw Macklemore AND IT WAS AWESOME! 

3. Did I visit her more this year than last year? Not sure. 

4. Unfortunately, this was true. I subbed a LOT and that means starting work at 7:30 am. No sleeping in with such a job. 

5. I think I did. She certainly likes me more now that my little sister has gone away to college. SUCCESS. 

6. Nope. No savings account. 

7. I'm pretty sure I've kept up with this. There were very few movies I wanted to see this year that I didn't go see. I'm holding out on 2 right now, but I have definite plans to see one. The other will have to wait a bit longer. 

8. Nope. Such is life. 

9. I seriously made this part of my list? LOLOLOLOLOL. No. There are no further dancing skills. If anything, I've gotten worse. Did I dance more this year than 2012? Probably yes. 

10. Umm...I went to Florida a lot this year. And I did go to California with three of my best lady friends :) I didn't make it up to Michigan (I really am sorry about this, but I hope to see you at least once in 2014.) I think overall I did a decent job of staying in better contact with people. Not spectacular, but better than years past. 

I'm not making another list quite just yet. I'll get a feel for the year first. Maybe next week. OR NEVER. 

You're Going to Wish You Were Still in College!

No, no I'm not.

Let's look at how my schedule this final semester of my college career has been.

Monday:
Subbing 07:30-15:00
Class 18:00-20:40

Tuesday:
Walmart 09:00-14:30/09:30-15:00
Class 18:00-20:40

Wednesday:
Subbing 07:30-15:00

Thursday:
Subbing 07:30-15:00
Walmart 16:00-21:00

Friday:
Subbing 07:30-15:00
Walmart 16:00-21:00

Saturday:
The one day I have off.

Sunday:
Walmart 09:00-18:00

I'm ready for next month. I'm ready for classes to be done. I'm ready to not be working all of the time and studying in the other time I have. I'm ready to have time to myself and actually read books. Bring on the stress of a real job.

My college experience has been far from typical and I'm ready for it to be over. Let it happen and let it happen NOW.

The Time I Wrote Three Different Titles for One Blog

And three different blogs to accompany those three titles. Rather than start and stop and start and stop and start and publish like normal, I just started and erased and started and erased and started and (hopefully) published. Published. Ha! As if someone really proofreads what I write and make public to the internet and its readers. What does it mean to be published online anymore? Can I call this being published? I think not.

But perhaps I'm wrong. I frequently am. Except when arguing. #alwaysright

Confession:

That Justin Timberlake/Jimmy Fallon video that everyone was plastering all over Facebook about speaking in hashtags being absolutely ridiculous...I didn't find it ridiculous. Possibly because I do talk in hashtags. So much so, actually, that last fall I was banned from saying "hashtag" in the house. I had to say "mashed potato" instead.

For example (Hermione voices, people):

"Oh my god. That ice cream was so delicious. Hashtag I'm getting fat" #imgettingfat
now turns into
"Oh my god. That ice cream was so delicious. Mashed potato I'm getting fat" (potatoes that are mashed)imgettingfat

Or in the morning when heating up some bread
"Mashed potato hungry. Mashed potato making toast. Mashed potato where's the butter?"

Thankfully that ship has sailed and my oral hashtagging has calmed significantly. Do you hashtag in real life? Is this a normal thing to do?


AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Leaving for Disney in 8 days! Huzzah!!! Heading out once Joe gets out of class around 6pm. DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE. Playing in the parks for a few days AND THEN OFF TO MY NEW WORK LOCATION. I'm excited. Nervous. Thrilled. Sick to my stomach. I'm actually super pumped about working at the Grand Floridian, but the fact that my work location, yet again, has a 40% deal to cast members kind of makes me nervous. Is it really that unpopular that they have to drag people in with a 40% price tag? Maybe I should check it out if it's 40% off at dinner... Cannot wait for food sampling during orientations!!! #imgettingfat (potatoes that are mashed)imgettingfat

Pump some pumpkin spice latte into my blood stream because

IT'S OCTOBER, WOODCHUCK CHUCKERS!

[bleep] yes!

That one was for you, Cora.

Things I Wish I Could Start Over

1. Toenail growth. 
     Not that I have really bad toenail fungus or that my toenails are going to stab someone's eye out (why are your eyes that close to my toes to begin with? did you put your face by my feet or are my feet by your face? do you deserve to have your eyes stabbed out with my toenails?) but really. My toenails are not in the best of shape. For pete's sake! One of them grows at such an angle upward that I regularly find holes in my socks AND EVEN MY SHOES because it's just ripping right through the material. No other toe does this. Please. Can't we just call it a draw and start over on this whole growing thing? You're really not doing me any favors by not being perfectly beautiful.

2. Hairbrushing methods.
     A few of you who are quite close to me (or maybe just casual observers of my life who noticed the long-term effects of my habit) will know that this weekend I purchased a hair brush. I ceased hairbrushing practices in October 2004 when I chopped off a good majority of my hair and just never took it back. In the past almost 9 years since this glorious (fatal?) event, I have probably brushed my hair less than 50 times. Total. Let's look at the number breakdown.
     9 years. 2012 was a leap year, as was 2008. 365 x 7 = 2555. 366 x 2 =732. 2555 + 732 = 3287. Take off about 2 months for the time between (even though we're in September and hair was chopped in October, we're at the beginning of the month and this occurred at the end of October. We'll give me the benefit of a doubt.) 3287 - 61 (again, being generous) = 3226. If I brushed my hair about 50 times between this haircut and now, I average a hairbrushing rate of about once every 64.5 days.

     That's not a lot. 

     I saw something on Pinterest the other day--which obviously means it was true. Pinterest never lies--that said if you brush your hair regularly, it stimulates growth. Something about the constant movement of oils from the root of the hair to the end, something something. Basically it makes your hair nicer. Or you can just pay for keratin treatments. OR! Buy fancy keratin shampoo! I'm experimenting with this currently. Had straight hair without having to use the straightener. I love! Not sure about the grease levels quite just yet though. Hmph.

3. Athletics.
     Yeah, I know. I should've been active all of my life. Blah blah. Why did I not push myself more athletically in elementary school? Middle school? High school? NOW? In elementary school, I remember thinking I was successful if I had a mile time of less than 20 minutes. I. Did. Not. Run. Ever. Walking a mile doesn't even take 20 minutes. How did I accomplish this? Was I really that lazy? Or was Penn Forest's "mile" far more than a mile? Music sort of got in the way of being athletically inclined when I got older ("Do you want to do harp or volleyball?" "harp." welcome to being lazy for life, Hannah. You'll love eating here.)

4. The beginning of college.
     Why did I think I wanted to go into biology education? Or elementary education? Or math education?! Was I insane?!?!?! I could have taken so many more awesome classes if I had decided on communication studies earlier on in my college career. And I would have hopefully cared more about what I had been doing in those classes. I wish I had put forth more effort in my classes at the beginning of college. Can't change that now, obviously (Marty McFly WHERE ARE YOU?) but what a novel thought. "Hey, you." "Me?" "Yeah, freshman Hannah. This is super-senior Hannah. Stop wasting your time in education-related courses. You want to do comm. studies. Trust me. Go with it." "Okayyyy..." "GO FORTH!!" "...and multiply?" "I SAID NO MATH" I'd probably be really mean to my past self. Maybe eventually I'll have the opportunity to do this. But at that point, maybe I wouldn't have to go back to my past self because perhaps at the exact point I tell her to try harder, my current self would disappear. One day, nay, one moment, can change your life path forever. Don't mess with these things!

5. My want as a small child to wear glasses.
     Who am I kidding? I still love wearing glasses. You go, little Hannah! You know what's stylish!

6. How I Met Your Mother. 
     I wish I'd never started watching it until it was already over. I wish I had discovered it years after it'd lost popularity. Lo! This show is fantabulous! I must spread this to the world! "It's already been declared. You're 10 years too late" *okay*

Yeah. Make it happen.

Ode to Pajamas

I walk into my room and kick off my shoes
AH!
Fresh air
The first breath my feet have had since the wee hours of the morning
Allowing them to bask in the sweetness, I lay on my bed
The dress comes off
Wait! No!
First the belt
That darn belt
Necessary for color popping
Unnecessary for everything else.
NOW the dress can come off
The final moment of decision:
Are the leggings or ARE THEY NOT part of the pajamas this evening?
Of course not!
Leggings are never part of pajamas!
What are you thinking Hannah?!
Leggings are only essential on hot days with dresses/skirts, cool days under pants, or school days when dresses/skirts are too short
You should know this by now.
I know, I know
But sometimes, you know, leggings are quite pleasant for lounging.
Hush your crazy mind
You're thinking in chaotic tones
Abandon those thoughts
Obviously lounge shorts are the ideal summer pajama wear
Tank tops
T-shirts
I live for pajamas

Pajamas, how I love thee.

Let us have pajama day
EVERY DAY.

Hair Color Rage

Admittedly, I'm being lazy today. I'm sitting on a rocking chair, holding my dog's food (I wish he would eat! Yes, Momma, he ate the first 3 scoops, but he gave hints of wanting more...apparently not really), watching television, perusing Pinterest, etc. Oh look! A commercial!

Okay. Cute? Right? Aww the husband thinks his daughter looks just like his wife. Aww the man is talking about the woman being beautiful. 

I call BS. 

Let's pull this apart from the multiple different flaws. 1) "Rob" doesn't know that his wife, "Kate" colors her hair. 2) Rob thinks that his daughter looks like Kate because they share a hair color. 3) Rob is a lucky guy because his wife and daughter have beautiful hair. 4) Both Kate and her daughter do not have a voice within the commercial. 5) Rob and Kate's daughter doesn't even have a name. 

1) "Rob" doesn't know that his wife, "Kate" colors her hair. 

In an earlier commercial following the lifestyle of this same couple, Rob tells the audience that he and Kate have been married for 15 years. They've gone through multiple moves together, new jobs--Hell! They even have a kid together now! One could say that Rob and Kate are a solid couple, a dynamic duo. Riddle me this how the man who has lived with the "love of his life" for 15 years--AT LEAST 15 years...who knows how long they were living together prior to marriage--has no clue that his wife colors her hair. Yes, the idea behind Nice'N Easy is that hair color is so easy you do it in a pinch. Yes, ideally hair color would be exactly the color of your own hair. But boxes! Gloves! Special hair color conditioner! Money! Does Rob pay attention to nothing his wife does for personal care?! Obviously they're not as close as the commercials would lead on if he's oblivious to her hair coloring habits. Not to mention, if Rob does not notice roots showing EVER, Kate has to be coloring her hair fairly regularly. Boxes are bound to be everywhere. 

But maybe Kate is hiding her hair coloring secret from her husband! Why would this be necessary? Do you hide something from your significant other? I know it's a stretch, but if Rob is so in love with Kate's hair color, maybe Kate should be honest about her little secret. Clairol is encouraging wives to lie to their husbands. Good job! 

2) Rob thinks that his daughter looks like Kate because they share a hair color. 

Yeah, the commercial also has Rob saying that they share a walk and grin. How many different walks are there? How hard is it to mimic someone's walk? A grin is a bit more genetically related, but even still... The emphasis on the commercial is hair color. Rob and Kate's daughter share Kate's hair color. And Rob loves it! It's like his daughter is his mini-wife! Because that's not creepy! My mom and I have relatively similar hair colors: does this mean we look precisely like each other? No. No it does not. 

3) Rob is a lucky guy because his wife and daughter have beautiful hair. 

Beautiful fair is equal to being lucky. Not when you have beautiful hair, but when your wife has beautiful hair. Heterosexual women and homosexual men be warned--you can never be lucky. Sorry about your luckless life. Don't invest in the stock market. But in all seriousness, what about Kate and the daughter's hair makes Rob a lucky guy? His wife is beautiful, yes, but is he only a lucky guy because Kate's hair is the shade that it is? No. 

4) Both Kate and her daughter do not have a voice within the commercial.

What is up with that? Any other beauty product commercial features the woman. It is the woman's opinion that matters most. Or is Clairol onto something else: we, the women, should buy beauty products because it truly is the men's opinions that matter. Behold! But then we bring up the argument of "do women wear makeup because they are competing with other women or is it to impress men?" Endless. The answer can never be found. Regardless, Kate is silent and so is her daughter. Kate's opinion of the hair dye is null and void. 

5) Rob and Kate's daughter doesn't have a name. 

How hard is it to name a focal point of a commercial? Choosing to keep her nameless does create the image of Kate's shadow, and while I understand that, the daughter has her own identity! She's not just a nameless nobody! She could one day grow up to be the President of the United States! She may become a Supreme Court Justice! Nameless daughter could be the first woman to land on Pluto! But because she was robbed of an identity in her commercial appearance, she will forever be known as Kate's daughter, Rob's mini-wife. She will never know her self-worth! Doomed from the beginning, this child will be nothing more than a pretty face, a hot walk, and some man-candy hair. Thank you, Clairol, for running her future and the lives of so many she could have impacted had she been given a proper name like Felicity (which really carries some weight, because let's face it, this girl is destined for greatness.) 

If you were so inclined to see the first installment of the Rob/Kate romance, you can view it here: 

Lo! Rob and Kate have two children. Let's not even mention the presence of the other child. Completely left behind! Feed the other child to the wolves, for all I care! FYI to Rob: I'm only 22 and I've had gray hair for years. You either started dating Kate when she was 12, or she's been coloring her hair forever. Get to know your woman...or someone else will. 

The Patriotism of Oatmeal Texture

This is me, taking the time on July 4th (Independence Day) to point out the fatal flaw in oatmeal and its various cooking methods. Let's evaluate the options:

Boiling water in a microwave without the oatmeal (best option when you have a measuring glass for liquids.) Then add to bowl of dry oatmeal. Stir. Enjoy.

Boiling water on the stove without the oatmeal (best option when you have a tea kettle ready for use.) Then add to bowl of dry oatmeal. Stir. Enjoy.

Boiling water in a microwave with the oatmeal (only option when you have neither a tea kettle nor a measuring glass for liquids.) Stir prior to putting into microwave. Stir after pulling out of microwave. Cry over how terrible the oatmeal is in this manner. Repeat the next morning.

It's like eating...maggots. Boiling the oatmeal with the water allows for minimal taste of the oatmeal (maple & brown sugar? I have no recollection of that ever happening...)

If I were able to somehow squish all of the oatmeal together into a solid ball formation, I have not a doubt in my mind that it would bounce. I am actively eating rubberized maggots. Labeled as maple & brown sugar. WHAT IS PATRIOTIC ABOUT THAT?!

Summer means "free"

Literally.

Look it up. Summer, as defined by Merriam and Webster (please slap me when next you see me for the crime committed by doing this in a public forum) is "free". Well, maybe not really. But it is "...the season between summer and autumn comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of June, July, and August or as reckoned astronomically extending from the June solstice to the September equinox." If that doesn't spell freedom to you, you must be...Canadian.

Actually, I love Canadians. I don't know many Canadians, but the few I do know, I have enjoyed quite immensely.

Especially Canadian accents. What is more satisfying in life than a full-blown Canadian accent, rambling on about a spider covering a weather camera? Little brings me more joy.

Except perhaps summer and its little mysteries. Maybe mystery is the wrong choice of wording. Perhaps intricacies. Tiny details. Summer is filled with tiny details that regularly take my breath away. The sweat rolling down faces as A/C unit after A/C unit craps out in the middle of July, one sad ice cream cone after another losing their top scoop to August's beating rays, spiders invading backyards in hoards with murdering intensity. Nothing says summer beauty like each of the events.

Ah! But what really made me smile while driving home just the other night was something like this: tall grass overflowing onto the country road, filled with lightning bugs. Driving just fast enough past the grass to only catch each flash in a glimpse but not so fast to blur. It was almost as though the grass was glittering.

Have you ever seen glittering grass? Because I have. And it is freeing. Go outside tonight to look at the glittering grass. I dare you.





Yay DOMA being ruled unconstitutional! :)

Pinterest IRL

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, IRL means "in real life"

or it means "I roll leaves" (no illegal implication, I promise)

perhaps it means "Iris really likes" something. What does Iris like? It'd be like her own personal approval rating. You saw an IRL sticker somewhere? Iris liked it.

Getting down to business: why can Pinterest not exist in real life? How cool would it be to have a Pinterest IN YOUR HOUSE.

"How does this work?" you ask.

Easily!

Allow me to show you the Pinterest Closet, otherwise marketed as Pinterest IRL.

With the Pinterest Closet, anything and everything that has been pinned by the people you are following will immediately be available to you in this closet. Free of charge. (you can't pin pictures of money and expect them to show up. #aladdingenierules) One of the people you follow just pinned a super cute puppy picture! POP! There's a super cute puppy in your closet! And he doesn't even poop or pee! Just available for tons of cuddles! Perfection! Someone went crazy pinning scarves and skirts for the fall? GUESS WHAT. They're now in your Pinterest Closet! Pop pop pop pop pop pop! FREE! The Best 3 Ingredient Cookies Ever. IN YOUR CLOSET. Methods for organizing your desk. ORGANIZING MATERIALS IN YOUR CLOSET. The greatest glass cleaner ever. IN YOUR CLOSET. Pizza. IN YOUR CLOSET. Workouts to get rid of that pizza gut. IN YOUR CLOSET.

Woah woah woah. How can a *workout* be in my Pinterest Closet?

Don't question it.

I'm all for it. Keeps me from going out in public and confessing to people that I pin a lot of ridiculous things. And it keeps people from knowing just how much pizza I like to eat. <3

xoxoxo PizzaAddict4lyf

A Book A Day Keeps the

What? What does it keep away? It certainly won't keep my vision from deteriorating (which is happening, but not very quickly, so I can't really complain in the grand scheme of things.) It doesn't keep the doctor away because if my vision is deteriorating, I do have to go see some sort of doctor. It doesn't keep apples away--I love eating while reading. It may keep me away from work, but I'm not senseless enough to call out of work just so I can read a book (although the thought did cross my mind on Friday when I received The Fault in Our Stars just before heading to work at Wal-Mart.) (Really great book, by the way. Read it if you haven't already. Or if you don't feel like reading it, find a synopsis online. I'm sure they're everywhere. The interwebs are LITTERED with spoilers of everything.)

But, yes. Summer 2013 (even though it's not technically summer yet) is the summer of books. Beyond taking a children's literature course which requires me to read multiple books a week, I'm also reading at a much faster pace than I have ever been able to, which means that I'm devouring books. So far since school ended earlier this month, I have read Tarzan of the Apes, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Fault in Our Stars, many many different poems/short stories required for my class, and have just started reading Peter Pan. The week after, I must read The Secret Garden and Freckles. Other highlights of the summer include: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Phantom Tollbooth, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the British version rather than the American version. I'm stoked! Damn it being the last week of the course...) and plenty of other novels. For pleasure, I have also purchased Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close per recommendation of a friend who has recently moved away (crying).

Um, yes. If you have any recommendations of books for me to read, feel free to comment. Message me on Facebook. Shoot me a text. Mail me a letter. Email me. Drive to my house, shake me out of my slumber, and shout the titles in my face. I may hurt you later, but upon waking, I'm generally an agreeable person. You just won't be able to breathe because of my rank breath.

Yup. That's right. I smell really bad in the morning. My drool also apparently contains something that dyes cloth. How does this work? Is my spit so acidic that it is capable of bleaching materials? I kid you not! My brown sheets are now orangeish from where I had a massive drool massacre the other night (when I was "reading" The Wiz.) If anyone knows anything about that...I'd also like to know. Because it's moderately strange. And I'd like to fix it. If possible.

Levels of Lazy (A quick guide)

Average lazy:
Not wanting to partner your socks after doing laundry.

Above average lazy:
Not wanting to put on real clothes because you're not going out today anyway.

Exceedingly lazy:
Not wanting to take out the trash because it's going to fill up again soon.

You should probably just go back to bed for a week you're so lazy:
Not wanting to paint your dominant hand's nails...so you leave them bare.

Guilty as charged.

Cleaning My Closet and I find...

Poems from 6th grade. Enjoy.

Untitled
Hannah
Musical, smart
Sister of Allison and Cora
Lover of good grades, hard math problems, and Ruby
Who feels happy when choir is over, grumpy in the morning, ready to strangle my older sister when she slaps me
Who needs a cold glass of Dr. Pepper, a loaf of bread in front of me, and music every 2 minutes
Who gives help on homework, love to those who need it, and happiness to my family
Who fears spiders, late homework, and getting the wrong answer
Who would like to see Elvis, Van Morrison, and my cousins
Resident of Virginia
Richardson

Morning
Morning
Swept
Up
Behind
Me
From
Nowhere
As
I
Brushed
My
Teeth
And
Got
Into
Bed.

The Roller Coaster
Yawn!
I waited in line for the roller coaster
'Right this way.' He said
And right that way I went

Into the car
Buckle Buckle CLICK CLICK!
Clickity Clack, Clickity Clack
Up the hill I went

Oh no!
Gasp!
We're going down the hill
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The girl behind me just giggled!
He he he he he he he he he he he he!
I expect she's rode this before
He he he he he he he he he he he he!

As we turned the corner
Ready for the loop
BLEH! Barf! GAG!!
Every one in front of me!

Finally
ERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!
The ride was over
I stepped out of the car, dazed

I shall never ride that again I said
Only to find my friend making me go
Just to say
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! again.

Piano Memory 
As I sat in class that day,
I thought, when will this end?
Finally we packed and lined up
Onto the bus we went
I got off at my street
Ready for the challenge ahead
For today was my first piano lesson
Oh how I dread!
She welcomed me in and I sat down
Before me lay a grand piano
Black and shiny ivories
Were stretched across the board
I was scared at first, I cried a little
I didn't know what to do!
She asked me to play a piece
So I did, one that I really knew
That was the day everything started
That wondrous glorious day!

When Shopping With Your Sister
Stay far behind
Don't ask to borrow money
If she likes a shirt, don't tell her it's ugly
Don't go somewhere she doesn't want to
When she tells you to buy something for her, buy it
When she wants to eat, don't tell her where to go
When shopping with your sister,
Stay home!

The Mess
Above the socks
Underneath the shirt
Next to the jeans
On my books
Over the bed
By the underwear
Near the boot
Beyond the ruler
Under last week's homework
Around the desk
At my dresser
Beneath the deodorant
Enclosed in my closer
Inside you will see
Behind the other boot,
Me.

2020
In 2020,
There are no plates
Food comes in tubes now
Squirt, and keep moving

My children's classes are recorded
No more leaving the house
The cars fly, no traffic!
We seldom use the plane

I remember the good old days
Gas powered cars
We ate with knife and fork
And 100 story building, now they have 10,000!

There are no more libraries
Just put on the eye computer (not big)
And read anything you choose!
No more rainforests, they've all been cleared

Over all I like the new age
But I always remember
The good
Old Days

Poems
They are full of rhyme
But they have no rules at all
Poems are feelings

Willow Tree
It blows in the breeze
Sewing the wind together
Singing its own song

When Patience Runs Thin

I like to think of myself as someone who has limitless patience. Old lady digging through her purse while I'm ringing her out trying to find the exact amount of change using the smallest denomination of coins possible? I can handle that. Kids at the school refuse to take quizzes until all of the glitter which has contaminated the entire room is off the page, requiring me to coax him into believing that the glitter will not harm his score? Bring it on. But right now?

No.

You're taking too long to answer my question, I'm going to fire another, more challenging one your direction. It's too hot in my room, I'm going to plug in five fans and sit on a block of ice (or move somewhere with snow. Right now.) You're hogging sink time for .5 seconds beyond your allotted amount, you best believe I'll be shoving you on the ground. (I'm not really that violent. Or that crazed about sink times. Who really does that? Ah, yeah, Billy, you've been standing at the sink for .738 seconds too long. We're going to have to deduct .293 seconds off of your sink time for tonight. Sorry bout your luck, Billy.)

Surprisingly, my patience was not running thin at my sister's two-hour long awards ceremony this evening. But as soon as we made it home, the toilet wasn't flushing fast enough, my water wasn't filling my glass quick enough, the oil on my face wasn't secreting in near the amounts that it should (also a lie. It's doing quite a splendid job at that right now...) I'm not reading my homework as quickly as I would like. The goats aren't catching me properly to break my fainting-fall.

All I want is to go running without having to go running. Does that make sense? I think it does.

A Better Way of Thinking

This morning before work, I read an article about things every fat girl should know. While I found it to be extremely self-confidence boosting and really a great read all around, I was left with one lingering thought: The idea that you should love someone because of something, rather than in spite of something. The article itself was talking about not settling for someone who likes/loves you in spite of your extra body weight, but rather because of your extra body weight. (i.e. I love you in spite of your fat body, vs. I love you because you are curvy/thick.) It was such a mind-opening concept and I genuinely believe it to hold true in most circumstances, but while I was at work, I thought of a few events in which I would hope it to not be true:

1. I love you because of your terrible body odor.
2. I love avocados because of the horrible texture and color reminiscent of baby poop.
3. I love dogs because of the excessive amount of saliva they produce.
4. I love flying because of the long lines to go through security.
5. I love Indiana because of the fact that I cannot legally purchase alcohol on Sundays.
6. I love dancing because of the way it makes me look like a cow having a seizure.

I could make it a ten item list, but I think you get it by now.

If you're interested in reading the article, you can find it here. No, but really, you should probably read it. Especially if you have less than perfect self-confidence. Or you have zero self-confidence. It's pretty fantastic.

I'm feeling like a superhero today. Oh yeah. #beautycannotbecontained #notevenbyglassesandlackofmakeup

I'm not a prophet but I'm here to profit

I'd also like to label this one as "Why I love Nose Strips"

You know, those white things where you slosh your nose with water, peel the magic strip from the plastic backing, and SMACK. Onto your nose.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

AND RIP IT OFF!

What glory ensues! Look at all of the hair and dirt I have just relieved my nose of! How happy it can now be as it breathes inside and out! My pores sing great choruses of clear freedom! This is the day that Biore has made! I will rejoice and be blackhead free in it! (and then a few more lines about entering gates with thanksgiving, into courts with praise...and now I'm just stuck on choir memories. Ahhh Roanoke.)

Last year around this time, I was squandering Pinterest for the latest and greatest beauty craze. Lo! A DIY blackhead strip! Never buy from the store again!

Can this be? Is it really as good as everyone writes?

It's on the internet...nobody has given it poor reviews...I MUST EXPERIMENT!

And so I bought milk, gelatin, popsicle sticks, and plastic containers for mixing. Oh and I borrowed my roommate/best friend's face. AND WE SET TO WORK

On what was arguably the worst endeavor I've ever set forth to accomplish. I highly recommend against said facial peel unless you like the feeling of ripping off layers of skin from your face over and over. If that's your sort of thing, then by all means! Find the recipe! Rip off skin!

I'm sure it would actually be quite a fantastical thing for Halloween if you were looking to create an aura of skin peeling.

Or you could just go outside and get some sun. But who does that these days? Pft. Not me. Skin of milk, this one.

Experimental Adventures

PICTURE YOURSELF IN A BOAT ON A RIVER...

TAKE A DEEP BREATH IN..2..3..4.. EXHALE..2..3..4..INHALE..2..3..4..EXHALE..2..3..4..

COUNTING IN PRIME NUMBERS ONLY, IMAGINE YOU ARE LAYING ON THE BEACH. YOU ARE ALONE IN THE WORLD, SAVE THE CRASHING OF THE WAVES. AS YOU LOOK AROUND AFTER WAKING FROM A LONG, DEEP NAP, YOU COME TO REALIZE THAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY AT A LAKE. THE OCEAN YOU WERE LISTENING TO HAS TRANSFORMED. BIRDS SING THROUGH THE AIR AS YOU MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE DOCK. YOUR FISHING ROD HAS BEEN CALLING TO YOU ALL SUMMER. IS IT A WEDNESDAY? IT DOESN'T MATTER, BECAUSE YOU ARE STILL ALONE. NATURE HAS SWALLOWED YOU AND MADE YOU WILD.

THUNDER CRASHES FROM THE WEST. YOU RUN INSIDE THE CABIN WHICH HAS JUST APPEARED BEHIND YOU. ITS RUSTIC CHARM MAKES YOU TRUST THE INSIDE WHICH HAS CLEARLY BEEN ABANDONED FOR YEARS. AS YOU MAKE IT INSIDE, THE SKIES OPEN UP AND RAIN BOUNCES OFF THE SURFACE OF THE LAKE. NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO TAKE A NAP, YOU REALIZE. COZYING UP IN BED, YOU DOZE OFF TO THE SOUND OF THE NOW VERY NEAR STORM.

WHEN YOU AWAKEN, YOU RETREAT TO THE DOWNSTAIRS AND PRACTICE YOGA. YOU HAVE OPENED THE WINDOWS OF THE CABIN TO ALLOW THE FRESH RAIN AIR TO WAFT THROUGH THE LIVING AREA. YOU TUNE THE TELEVISION TO THE PHILLIES GAME AND LISTEN TO TOM MCCARTHY AND WHEELS VOICE THE PLAYS. AFTER THE PHILLIES HAVE WON THE GAME, YOU STRETCH OUT ON THE FLOOR AND OPEN UP YOUR FAVORITE BOOK. YOU BECOME LOST IN THE CHARACTERS AND IMAGINE YOURSELF FIGHTING DEATH EATERS AT HOGWARTS.

LIFE CANNOT GET BETTER. YOU ARE AT PEACE WITH THE WORLD, AND THE WORLD IS AT PEACE WITH YOU.

When I write about people

I like them to know I'm writing about them.

Not by telling them, but with the hope that they may read what I'm writing, realize "Oh no! That's me she's mentioning!" and then ask me about it.

I don't write about people to bad mouth them or make them feel bad about who they are. I write about them with the hope that when they realize they are being written about, it will spark a conversation.

"Hey, I read your blog last night. I noticed you said something about a person wearing purple pants. That's me, isn't it?" "You? You don't wear purple pants." "I definitely own purple pants." "No, no. You have been wearing red pants lately. Trust me, I've noticed." *winking face* And then we continue to discuss their wardrobe.

As if I'm really someone to discuss wardrobes. Have you seen what I wear? I need my personal stylist back in my life pronto. Shopping sprees again, por favor.



A break from the hopeful wishing: brought to you by sunset.

Not so much sunset as it was bright spring sky with many clouds and promises of a decent evening.

I was driving to Indianapolis this evening/afternoon (what is 5:30, exactly? Is it evening? Is it afternoon? At this point in the year, it's still light outside, so I hardly label it as evening. But it is far beyond noon.) to meet a group member for project preparation. If you're reading this, it was a bucking good time, on the reg. (here I go again, writing about people.)

Anyway. Back to the sunset/sun in the clouds.

10 years down the road, where will I be? Will I be in Indiana? Will I be in Florida? Will I talk to anyone I talk to currently? The sun was so beautiful that for a brief moment in time, I thought to myself, "Maybe I don't belong in Florida."

And that was the first time I've thought that outside of Florida.

I felt betrayed. Surely I was not fully aware of what I had just processed. Did I really catch myself thinking that maybe I should be staying in Indiana? What is here for me in Indiana?

What is in Florida for me? What is waiting for me anywhere?

Nothing. I must make my own opportunities.

Rounds of bored

Round 1:

Coffee.

COFFEE! I MEAN I'M DRINKING COFFEE! I LOVE COFFEE. I LOVE LIFE! I LOVE BOOKS I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SUBBING JOB YES!!!!!

Round 2 (continuous):

Stuffed nose.

Eyb don eben know whas going onb.

Round 3:

Reading.

The Great Gatsby. I never read it in High School, so why not now? It's the perfect setting! Or I could eat food.

Round 4:

Lasagna.

Quick now! Go home! Grab lasagna! Return to work! MICROWAVE THAT PUPPY. Enjoy the folds of pasta and intricate meshing of cheese with sauce as you

INTERCEPTION

I can't print. Help me.

Round 5:

Lasagna.

Who doesn't love room temperature lasagna? Garfield. And me. But any lasagna is better than no lasagna. AMIRITE?

Round 6:

UFO's

Otherwise known as unidentified flying objects. Hollah at ya brotha.

a brief analysis of identity

When you don't know who you are, you have two options as to who you can become.

You can be nothing.
Or you can be everything.


You chose to become everything, the harder route, and are therefore invincible. By liking everything, you are appealing to all characters: a variety pack of socks will please everyone if there are enough options. Unless, the person choosing the socks likes sandals: the person who likes nothing.

These are the people who dislike you: the ones who also know little of their personal identity. Rather than choose the harder route to become everything, they became nothing. They grew up in a world hating that which surrounds them. They took the easy route that promised fast, mediocre results.

Remain in the spotlight. Remain diverse within one unit. Remain who you are.


Why would you ever choose to be nothing?

Adventures in Story Telling

Once upon a time, there was a girl. This girl's name was Shalandatiqua, but her friends called her Shalandati. [Her mother (rest her soul!), being the most important person in her life, called her Land. For the purpose of sparing letters from exhaustion, we shall refer to her as her mother (rest her soul!) would have preferred.] Land had one love in life: alphabetizing of VHS tapes in stores where she was not employed. A dying profession, you would accurately assume, but Land loved it nonetheless. Land would spend hours in Goodwill after Goodwill (heaven forbid she ever step into a Salvation Army), organizing each film by title, then rearrange by main actor, main actress, director, producer, etc.

One day when Land was visiting a Goodwill approximately 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 49 seconds from her house, she came across a problem.

Somebody else was already arranging the VHS tapes.

Land was perplexed. "Someone else shares my love for alphabetizing? Someone has figured out how I live my life and has set out to sabotage my happiness? WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS OTHER PERSON?" Land spoke aloud in the store, reaching out to her mother (rest her soul!) "Mother (rest your soul!), I know not why this man is rearranging VHS tapes, but I will figure it out and I will not bring dishonor to our family name! I vow it or shall my life be ended!" Other customers in the store thought nothing of Land's crying-out to her mother (rest her soul!) because...they were in a Goodwill. (Everyone's a little off their rocker in a Goodwill.) (Yet we all visit them. We all delight in being a little crazy.)

She approached the man, who by this time, was 64% of the way through the VHS tape alphabetication (a new word to go down in the history books, because c is superior to z. February 17th, 2013: a date which will go down for no reason in particular.) "Excuse me, sir. But my name is Shalandatiqua. My friends call me Shalandati. My mother (rest her soul!) called me Land. You shall address me as 'The Queen.' You, scum of the Earth, are robbing me of my one passion in life. The activity which allows to me get out of bed each morning and put on matching socks. The one thing which connects me to the real world: my Energizer bunny. Do not bring dishonor to my family! Be gone from here before I put a house on you!"

The man snickered and was slow to respond to Land's declaration with an air of Oz.

"Land, 'The Queen,' I have not stolen your passion in life. I have not robbed you of the activity which allows you to get out of bed each morning and put on matching socks. I am not disconnecting you from the rest of the world, nor am I taking away your Energizer bunny. I will not bring dishonor to your family nor speak poorly of your mother (rest her soul!) I would hope that you would not summon a house to crush me, but if you must, I think you should first know something which may crumble your every idea of what is important in life."

Land had little patience for the man and hurried out, "And what would that be?" She was not in the mood to be toyed with (Toy Story did not belong next to An American Tale and Land knew this to be true.)

"This is Salvation Army. Goodwill was bought out two weeks ago."

Land joined her mother (rest her soul!) after minimal suffering from cardiac arrest.

Imma let you finish, February, but August is the best month of all time

Thoughts thinking while in the shower this morning led me to the realization that August is the best month of all. 

WHY IS AUGUST THE BEST MONTH OF ALL, HANNAH? 

I'm so glad you asked, loyal reader! I'm going to tell you! 

Let us first look at other months (primarily observing a Christian calendar) when determining August's awesomeness factor: 

January - New Year's and Martin Luther King Day (Lee Jackson King Day, as I was raised) 

February - Valentine's Day and President's Day

March - St. Patrick's Day 

April - Easter (most of the time) 

May - Mother's Day and Memorial Day

June - Father's Day

July - Independence Day 

August - ....

September - Labor Day 

October - Halloween 

November - Thanksgiving 

December - Christmas and New Year's Eve

What's that you are seeing? August has no major/overly-commercialized holiday? 

That's right. August. Has. No. Holiday. 

August stands alone. It is awesome. It is one of a kind (except April occasionally joins in on the party.) August is home to many of my favorite people's Earth Entrance Celebration! 

The many, the proud, the August babies. 

Sundays are for...

Sunday funday!

What can you do with a Sunday?

1. Homework
2. Cuddle a cat
3. Work
4. Run to the car in the rain
5. Why does it always seem to rain on Sundays?
6. Plan for the week
6a. Meals
6b. Outfits
6c. Daily goals
6d. Blogs
7. Won't you stay, stay with me?
8. Sing your heart out
9. Write more lists than necessary
10. Freeze in bed

What can't you do with a Sunday?

1. Buy alcohol at a store
2. Come through my line with reusable shopping bags
3. Come through my line with leaking meat
4. Pay a bill
6. Drive fast
7. Get up early
8. Stay up late
9. Get back together
10. Count properly
11. Stay with you.

What can you write lists about?

1. Lists
2. Cats
3. Things you like
4. Things you love
5. Things you hate
6. Things you have no opinion of
7. The value of a dollar
8. People you find attractive (JenLaw, this is for you)
9. Movies you want to see
10. The future

Things you should never do:

1. Nothing.
2. Live with regrets.
3. Carry around baggage (redundant)
4. Call blasphemy on list-making.
5. Read this blog without commenting.

Really, I want to know where you're from. Can be anonymous, but if you're reading this, leave a comment sil vous plait.

XOXO

My Valentine's Day

So I guess today is my Valentine's Day.

Or something like that.

I'm sitting in bed, eating Dove chocolate hearts (Believe in those you love and Be a little mysterious.) I'm listening to Nat King Cole. I'm wearing red pajamas. I have a warm cat at my feet. My day was awful except for the past...hour? two hours? It was certainly rough, but it was of my own doing.

And those damn bags.

Seriously, WalMart, let's invest in some nicer bags. Can we not just pay a little bit more for some extra plastic to make certain that each bag opens as it should? To make certain that each bag stays together even when I put a pencil in it? Is that too much to ask?!

Back to Valentine's Day.

"Celebrate family and friends."

I watched this video tonight from SoulPancake (which is a really awesome site Rainn Wilson has helped to coordinate) and the video was all about love. Made me cry. Maybe I cried because I'm overly emotional right now, or maybe I cried because it really was a touching video. You be the judge. I posted it on Facebook, but I'll link you here, too. Why? Because, well, it's just that good. Watch it. Right now. HERE. Be warned, you may very well cry if you have a heart.

"Despite a common misconception, true love exists."

When I think about love, many things physically happen subconsciously.
1. My tongue presses hard against the back of my teeth. This hurts a lot.
2. I cry.
3. I reach for cats.
4. I write lists.
5. I call someone to cuddle.

Wait? Is that like saying that thinking about love is like making booty calls for cuddling? ...one will never know.

This Valentine's Day, I will be at school. I will be working. I will visit the Y after class. I will carry on my routine as usual for this semester.

Maybe something will change. Maybe it won't. Odds are against me in the changing habit category, but all it really takes is one moment. One person. You can change it all.

Valentine's Day 2013: A day for change. (and not for change that results in fatteh 2013 edition.)

I did not actually call someone to cuddle. But I wish I did.

What was mistaken for closeness was just a case of mitosis

I am alone.
I see the birds flying above, and I am alone.
When I go to sleep at night, I am alone.
I go to campus, alone.
I leave campus, alone.
I wake up in the morning, and I am alone.

Solitude is often mistaken for sadness.
Do you see me drive by alone in my car?
I am not sulking, I am not frowning.
I am smiling.
I am dancing.
I am clapping.
I am happy to be alive.
I just happen to be alone.

But I am not sad.

Just because a person is alone
Does not mean they are not satisfied in life.
I have found more joy being alone than I ever had
Being part of a pair

What was mistaken for closeness
Was just a case of mitosis

Are all relationships like this?

Can you be part of a successful relationship with someone who is a carbon copy of yourself?
Would you not be bored all of the time?
At every moment, I know precisely how you will react,
Because you are me and I am you.
There would be no excitement.
No uncertainty.

What defines success? (Our goals)

My goal is to be alone.
I am successful.

My goal is to be happy.
I am successful.

My goal is to write in strange phrasing.
Success belongs solely to me.

This is not a sad post, but a post of the most sincere nature.

I am happy. Believe me when I say it.

I think you and I should get together

I was working on homework for my interviewing class just a few minutes ago when I heard a voice.

"Even in the wizarding world, hearing voices isn't a good sign."

Thanks, Miss Granger. 10 points shall be awarded to Gryffindor for your wealth of knowledge.

It was a man's voice. At first I thought it was my father. A bit odd, I thought. For my dad to be awake this late and speaking so loud and clearly. Hang on, that isn't his voice at all, I rationalized. It's the weather radio!

Oh noes. We's abouts ta get ourselves a storm up in here!

Or something like that. I just saw lightning outside of my window (although I did not hear the thunder.) Old mother faithful is saying we have a tornado watch until 5 am. I wish Mother Hubbard didn't start talking as soon as I opened the page. RAGE.

On a related note, I despise my online writing class. It is labeled as a writing course. It's supposed to be "Writing for the Web" not "How to Format a Webpage 101." If I wanted that, I would take an HTML course. Or I'd just pay one of my computer friends to do everything for me. I thought it was going to be a course about adequately personifying yourself for an online audience. We regularly have to check out obscure blogs and webpages and write about our feelings toward those pages. Excuse me? Yes. "There's too much purple." "I don't like all of the white space." "When I look at this page, I want to punch babies."

MORE LIGHTNING. me gusta.

"When this page opens, it sings to me. Literally. I can't make it stop." "This link is no longer available."

about: blank

We Are What We Wear, We Wear What We Are

Things my friends have posted about on Facebook in the last two hours:

- Pictures of cats
- Pictures of themselves in headphones
- Pictures of themselves skiing
- Pictures of themselves with their siblings
- Youtube links without previews or descriptions
- Selling of pies
- Acceptance to vet school
- Pictures of Manhattan looking strange
- Lazy days
- Pictures of museum trips
- Pictures of friendship related to the Lion King
- Being Mitch Daniels' favorite person
- Jeff Saturday's retirement
- Work
- Weather conditions being distasteful
- Upcoming television shows
- Fog
- Asking for friends to accompany to a concert
- Tired, therefore meaning the gym is a priority
- Who they were at 18 years old
- Spam about profile views
- Some nonsense about sleeping for hours on end
- "If you're sad about being alone on Valentine's Day, just remember nobody loves you on any other day of the year either :| "
- The lack of brains by a geology professor in matters related to Physics (a neutron is composed of an electron and proton, therefore making the charge neutral)
- A joke about birds tweeting


What does this all mean? Several conclusions could be drawn:

A. I'm on facebook too much
B. People are, thankfully, not posting their minute by minute activities
C. My friends are a fair representation of who I am (minus that Jeff Saturday posting. Who cares!)
D. Being alone on Valentine's Day is no more depressing than being alone every other day.
E. We could all use a little more pie.

Yo, thanks for coming

But really, I just wanted to use you as a human bike lock.

What is a human bike lock, you ask? Allow me to paint you a picture.

We ride bikes together. I go inside, because I didn't really want you coming with me, I just wanted you to keep an eye on my bike. But, seeing as how you also had to ride a bike to watch my own, you have to watch both bikes. Easy as pie. I'll be joining you in an hour. Maybe longer.

Hope you brought a book.

Or an iPod. At the very least, you've got your cell phone.

Or did you forget to charge it last night? Looks like you'll be writing novels in the snow.

Don't you dare step inside the lobby. You knew what you were getting into when you offered to ride with me. It's not my fault you didn't grab handwarmers and extra gloves when we left the house.

It's 60 degrees today? Splendid! You won't freeze to death!

Wait, 5 degrees on Friday? Maybe you should have grabbed the handwarmers. We live in Indiana, silly. It's not like you can actually predict the weather. They may say Friday, but really, they mean now.

NOW.

Like when I'm getting my hair cut. Right now. I want it cut right now. I'll just hack it all off. No regrets. No worries. No responsibilities. Less shampoo. Less hassle.

No ponytails or messy buns. This could be a problem. Maybe just a trim.

Is this a stream of consciousness, you ask?

Yes. Yes, it is.

I'm a dead man walking.

A Time to be Happy! (communications shout out!)

Cue Byrds quote NOW!

If you don't know what I'm talking about...shame on you!

But, siriusly, guys. Today is a beautiful day! Well worth all of the exclamation points I'm about to throw out there in the blogosphere!

FIRST OF ALL: 1000 people have looked at my blog! Yay! And by the time you, the loyal reader, are looking at this, the number will be far higher! Congratulations and thank you for increasing that figure!

SECOND (but not any less important/exciting!): I am alive! Yes! Not that there was any ever doubting as to my existence/general liveliness, but I am breathing! I have life in me! That alone is worth celebrating!

THIRD: THE EXCLAMATION POINT IS ALIVE AND WELL! Never ye fear, I shall resuscitate it should it happen to suffer from over-usage this evening.

FOURTH: Planning for various service projects this semester (in a very service-oriented semester) has begun! Only the second week of class AND I CAN FEEL THE BLOOD FLOWING! I can feel the involvement juices collecting, ready to burst out NOW! RIGHT NOW!

FIFTH: Caps lock will also be alive at the end of the night. I swear upon my pet frog's grave in Paxton, Massachusetts.

Okay, so I never had a pet frog. Nor did I lose any pets while living in Paxton. But it was a noble effort at promising the safety of the caps lock key. Just trying to help a brother out.

Really, guys. The idea of potentially interviewing someone at a radio station, along with starting up a straight/gay unity celebration on campus...MY BODY IS READY FOR RUNNING! YES!

Side note: heard the "I Have a Dream" speech on the drive to school today. This may have pumped me up a lot. I think it has a lot to do with my current mood, actually. Love that man. Love that speech! Love rhetoric! I LOVE COMMUNICATIONS!

Refrigerator Escapades

Last night, I was perusing through the refrigerator to find toppings for ice cream (#generalizedstatementaboutpeopleeatingicecream) and found instead FIVE JARS OF PICKLE PRODUCTS. 4 jars of pickle spears/whole pickles, and 1 jar of relish.

I hate pickles.

Thankfully, this is not *my* refrigerator, therefore the contents of said kitchen appliance do not solely exist out of my choosing (there'd be far more hummus.) But, really, five jars of pickles? Do we really need that many pickles? I understand, there's dill pickles, sweet pickles, buttered pickles, pickled vegetables that are not cucumbers, spicy pickles, dill relish, sweet relish, kosher pickles, etc etc etc. But what does this all mean?! I am not a pickle connoisseur. I would not be able to tell you whether a pickle was dill or sweet. But five jars of pickles?

I also found a chocolate frog from Honeydukes. We visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter back in April. That's not much less than a year ago now. That poor little frog, which was not made from the best quality chocolate, is just sitting in the back of the refrigerator, waiting to be freed, if not eaten. I can hear him crying from my room "I thought I was going to escape on the Hogwarts Express! I thought you would be like Harry and be too enthralled by the card to notice me sneaking away!" Wrong. Oh how wrong you were, Mr. Frog yielding a Gryffindor card. Luckily, the Helga Hufflepuff frog was put out of his pentagonal box misery not long after purchasing.

This therefore leads me to the conclusion that perhaps, in order to be noticed more, the chocolate frog should be pickled. A little vinegar never hurt anyone! Except I'm sure that the chemical compounds existing in vinegar would most certainly break up that little frog quite soon into immersion. Or would it? Acid...base...good thing I'm not majoring in anything science related! #loveliberalarts

Thoughts I'm Thinking

2013.

Where did 2012 go? Looking back to 2012, I did a lot. I ended a job at CVS, I took on a new role with Disney, I moved to Florida in January and didn't move back to Indiana until August. I did poorly in school, took the summer off from classes, and had a very strong Fall semester. I officially became a Communications major, and decided that grad school is in my future. I went to a Phillies Spring Training game against the Blue Jays! I returned to Massachusetts for the first time since 2007 to see my roommates from the College Program version 2.0. I saw a lot of movies at the theater in 2012: J. Edgar, Beauty and the Beast in 3-D, The Vow, The Amazing Spider Man, Brave, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Looper, Wreck-It Ralph, Magic Mike, Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight Rises, Pitch Perfect, and Mirror Mirror. There are probably more...but that's not the point I'm attempting to make (if there's really any point at all.)

2013 means new opportunities! (No it doesn't.) 2013 means changing my life overnight! (That's a far-fetched idea.) 2013 means doing things I wouldn't normally attempt! (Possibly.) While my mindset and approach to life cannot simply change overnight as a resolution would prompt, I can make a list of things I would like to accomplish in 2013. The span of an entire year (minus 9 days) is a reasonable request, I think, so should be easily accomplished. Without further adieu, I present to you all this morning, THE LIST.

1. I want to go to a baseball game (doesn't matter if it's in Indianapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, etc. but it will happen.)
2. I want to go to a concert (Company of Thieves is coming to Bloomington this month. Weather permitting, I really want to attend.)
3. I want to visit my sister more (she's getting married! I need to help her plan this wedding!)
4. I want to get up earlier (sleeping in feels like you're wasting the day away.)
5. I want to pay more attention to my cat (and not by means of hacking off her fur...)
6. I want to open a savings account to start saving for moving to Florida.
7. If a movie comes to the theaters that I want to see, I will go see it! I don't need someone to go with me!
8. I want to get all A's in my classes, for the entire year. This includes spring, summer I, summer II, and fall. It can happen!
9. I want to be able to dance. Maybe that means white girl dancing, but I want to be able to dance when out with my friends and not care how I look.
10. I want to visit my friends more. You live in Michigan? Let me drive to Michigan. You live in Massachusetts? Fly to me. (haha) You live in Florida? I'll move in with you. I'm really bad at staying in touch with friends AND THIS MUST IMPROVE.

Yessir. Ten things. Easily accomplished. Make dreams happen! Make the magic happen! Pixie dust EVERYWHERE! If you can dream it, you can do it!