Natural Disasters

It's nice to see we're mostly all on the big unknown side of life, or at least not 100% sure of what to do. It's reassuring.

Some random notes in my life:

• Busy day number 2! It's going to be like this a lot now. Tonight I had the meeting with my group for Duck TV, and the show I'm in? I'm the main character. WHAT. How did that happen?!? Obviously, I'm excited. It's not sketch comedy like I thought, it's a story. It's a bit odd to explain, but I'll be sure to talk about it in the future. Filming is happening this weekend!
• Tomorrow? Tomorrow I am gonna pass out. I haven't been sleeping well, and I finally figured out why. Way too much light floods into my room. The roommates have been leaving the hall light on, and it shines through my door. I just didn't realize that it could be messing with me.
• The next step of my Study Abroad Application is happening! I can't say much, but I'm excited! Also, I need to find odd jobs. My hours are wacko now.
• I was going to go grocery shopping on Tuesday, and I'm kind of glad I didn't now. Apparently a couple was held up at gunpoint the day at my store that day. Perhaps I'll go to the other one... Eek.

Where I come from, there aren't a whole lot of natural disasters to worry about. We don't have hurricanes, tornadoes, crazy blizzards... usually we're pretty chill. We're supposed to have a giant earthquake, but they've been saying that for decades. The only problem we've really dealt with has to do with what type of weather we're known for: rain. Most of the time rain doesn't cause that much of a problem, it's just obnoxious. There comes a time when the rain can cause some big stuff though.

Enter: The Flooding.

That's not where I am right now. My town is surprisingly okay, despite being lower elevation. The scary thing is, that's my home town. The last time Oregon had a flooding like this was about 6 years ago, and it was no where near this bad.
I was envious of them earlier when they had snow and we had rain, but now I am not.
At the same time, I kind of wish I could go canoeing in it.

Okay, I have got to get to bed. Just have to wait until 5 to be completely free tomorrow... Huzzah.

What natural disasters do you have to deal with in your town?

Bigger Place, Less of a Safety Net

Ah man, I can't wait for it to be the weekend. I'm excited, but I don't know why. Possibly because of the half marathon, but also just because there's something about weekends that seems... exciting.

Lately, I've been thinking about small areas versus large areas. Mainly the movement from small towns to bigger areas.

For most of my life, I've been from a small area. My hometown was a town where every person knew everyone else's name. It was easy to get recognition for things you did, easy to get to know others. You're surrounded by these people all of the time, so it's quite easy to become friends. That was the same with the sports and other activities. Even if you weren't amazing at a certain activity, it was still kind of easy to get a part in things or be on the Varsity Team. (Well, except for cross country. I suck at speed.)

The point is, you were in a safe zone. You had a safety net of friends, activities, and such just because there was nothing else to do. It wasn't hard work to get these things, they just fell into your lap.

Moving to Monmouth, it was harder to get things you wanted. The dorms helped with friends (took me a little too long to realize that), but other activities were showing me that I wasn't as amazing as I thought. Have you seen other people act? They're better than you. Have you looked at other people's art? It's incredible.
Still, the dorms constantly had activities going on so it was easy to get involved.

There's the story of someone being on top of the world while in a small town. They get every role, every top position, everybody loves them. Then, they move to a big city and get lost in the fray. They become a loser. A stereotype of this that you see in movies is the jock whose glory days were in high school.

Now I'm in an even bigger town, and I don't have a built-in house of potential friends. I have to compete to get noticed. I have to work to get to know people. However, I'm not saying I'm the jock in that small town story. Like I was near jock status. Instead, moving to a bigger town is giving me a much needed kick in the pants. It's humbling, sure, but it's humbling that is needed. Honestly, because I'm gradually coming to this realization it's going to help me after school. The rejections hurt, but they help me grow. The first meetings might be awkward, but they're helping me be... less awkward.

Anyone can move to the big city. It's how you let it affect you is what matters. You can wimp out after a few tries, or you can push forward. Work harder. Be a better you than you had to be when it took less effort. It's your choice.

However, there's nothing wrong with the small town. There are a ton of people who live in small towns because they love it. On the other hand, I know that if I went back now... I'd be regretful every minute. Like the sad jock.

Hopefully I don't sound preachy, but it's just how I'm feeling as of late. Also, I wrote way too much. Eh.

What about you? Do you like the bigger cities or the smaller towns?

Winning Things and Home Alone

We've gone into the zombie state of this vacation. That's right: The concept of getting anything done is covered in a haze of laziness. I know, I have a problem.

What I don't have a problem with is winning stuff! Recently I won a giveaway over at Gingersnaps, and the prize came today.

It came with a nice little written note, some coffee samplers, coupons, and an apron, which I was planning to wear right after I opened it. ...Then five seconds later while I was baking some bread, I realized I had forgotten to put it on. I'll get it, I swear.

Recently, I was hanging in the house all by myself. No parents, no sister, just me. (I'm saying this now due to the fact that I'm no longer alone in the house. I'm not that dumb to say when I'm currently in the house alone.) Something odd happens when you're in a house by yourself. You tend to act... differently? Or maybe that's just me.

For y'see, when I've got a house all to myself I happen to walk around in the nude. Well, maybe not all of the time. It's more of an after-shower thing. Still, it's not something I'd do if there were others around. I'll nonchalantly wander the halls and just feel comfortable in the nude. If anyone else was around? I'd be covering up.

Now that I've terrified all y'all, I have to ask: What do you do differently when you're home alone? Perhaps listen to music on full blast? I'm guessing people aren't as weird as I am.

What Makes the Perfect Mom?

Today was Mother's Day, and I'd like to think that everyone either spent time with their moms or sent them love any way they could.
With the idea of Mother's Day, it gets a person thinking. Just what makes the perfect mother? Really, the answer to that is different for everyone. For me, my perfect mom doesn't need to know how to cook the perfect meal. She sometimes can make dirty jokes that make you cringe and laugh at the same time. She doesn't always tell you what you want to hear, but sometimes tells you what you need to hear. She helps you out even when you say you don't need it (but in reality you do). She wants you to go for your dreams, but she wants you to look at things realistically. She's not trying to be negative, she just doesn't want to see you get hurt. The perfect mom isn't truly perfect. If she were, it wouldn't feel like she was as special. The perfect mom forgets things sometimes. She says things that can be really awkward.
But she's still perfect.

You may look at that and think, "What? Those are weird things to say about your mom being the best mom." Yet, I know if you listed off things for why your mom is the best, I might look at and think, "What the heck? I'm glad my mom isn't weird like that."
For instance, I just watched the movie Babies. Other than ogling at the adorable actions of some of the babies, I watched some of the parenting skill with absolute terror.

• (Is it really a good idea to sit in a hot tub with a baby?
• Why... Why did she wipe that there? I'm gonna throw.
• The little guy is out there all alone! What are you doing?)

See? Even in different cultures, different cities! The right way to be a mom (or dad) can be seen in different ways. I know that I wouldn't have the first clue how to be a mom.

I love my mom, just the way she is. I get annoyed sometimes and I know she gets annoyed too, but that's just life.

Speaking of today, I decided to go down to the hometown to go to lunch and a movie with my mom. Somehow, I ended up getting help filling out forms, and getting food to bring home.

Oh mom.

If you have a mom, or maybe two moms, or maybe two dads, or whatever you have. Whoever raised you, don't just show them love on one day. Remember how awesome they are everyday.

What makes your mom special?

People of the past revisited

Evening everyone! How's life treating you?

Last night I saw some people from my hometown... and many of them I didn't recognize. Even though it hasn't even been a year, it feels like it's been ages since I've actually spent time with the people of my town. Strangely enough, it makes me realize how little it doesn't bother me not seeing all of the people from my school. Sure, there are a few people who matter, but you know what? My classmates weren't as special as I thought.
Good thing: being told, "You are gorgeous."
Not so good thing: being told that comment by someone slightly induced with a mouth full of chew.
Just... ick.

Tonight, not much going on. We just don't know what to do! Blah.

How close were you to your classmates before graduation and then after?

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"?

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?

Running in the Morning, Dentist Appointments, and Grocery Shopping at Home

The day was quite eventful, but a pretty good day.

My 8:00 A.M. class was canceled today, so I thought that instead of running in the afternoon, I would try a morning run. It was good, but it just seemed so bizarre. I started to feel like it was a Sunday until I saw high schoolers on their way to class. They say that it's better to get your workouts in during the morning, and I believe them. I felt good already doing it in the morning, and since running always puts me in a good mood, I was ready to take on the world.

The other events of the day included driving back to C-town for a dentist appointment. Fun fact about me: Two of my front teeth are baby teeth. The adult teeth simply never grew in, so I kept the baby ones. One day, they will fall out though. My dentist has informed me of that, but they don't know when it actually will happen. They also say it won't be as freaky as I think it will be, but all I can imagine is one day randomly having it flop out.

Did you know Ed Helms is really missing that tooth? His never grew in either!

Since I was near home, I decided to stop by the house to grab some things. I believe that I am still at the age where it's socially acceptable to grocery shop from home. I needed some baking supplies for the Superbowl next weekend, and I didn't want to buy whole bags of brown sugar. I ended up grabbing a lot more than I thought!

So, if you're wondering why there are less of certain things in the house mom, this is why. Funny thing about my sister and I being at college? The house is a whole lot cleaner. Also, apparently my mom just bought this:

A Roomba? When did that happen?

I ended up seeing my dad right before I left, which was pretty cool.

Today I ended up wearing an outfit that in my opinion was fantastic! It got me thinking: Why do I like to wear cute clothes? What makes me what to dress nicely? Well, you know in those movies where the average girl gets all dolled up for one night? On that one night, she has that feeling of being amazing, and the world is her oyster. I like to feel like that everyday. Cute clothes tend to make me feel even more fantastic than usual. When I was feeling down, I didn't really dress in fun clothes.

Speaking of which, I'd like to say thanks. To all of the people who have even taken a peek at my little ol' blog, especially when I was being whine-y. Y'all rock. Even the strange amount of people who stumbled upon my blog from searching for "Fat Squirrels". Yeah, that's what draws people to my blog the most. I'm not kidding.

I have a reading for Costume class... I should probably get on that. Hm.

Do you like fashion? What do you like about fashion? Also, at what age is it not socially acceptable to grocery shop at home?

Back to Campus and Winter Break Recap

Ah, back to the ol' dorm room. Right now it's only 9:18, yet I am getting really tired. Probably a good thing because I'm gonna have to get up at 7:00 A.M. tomorrow. Oof, back to the daily grind.

I went on my first run of this year! 9 miles, pretty cool. Less than 14 days until the race!
The rest of the day was packing up and getting back to campus. I had dinner with the family too before heading off at the home town favorite place. That made me more bummed to leave! I still have classes tomorrow though. Real life is calling, ugh.

Here's a recap of what I managed to actually do during winter break:

• Watched more seasons of television series than I'd like to admit.
• Ran the distance of a half-marathon, now let's see how that race goes!
• Spent a lovely Christmas with family
• Hung out with some old friends.
• Hung out with my sister and some of her friends
• Watched a few pretty good movies
• Earned a couple extra bucks
• Saw my mom receive her master's degree

I suppose that's about it. Like I said, not the most eventful of breaks, but enjoyable nevertheless.

I'm pretty sure I forgot a few things at home... which might include my Ipod. Dangit.

How was your winter break?

Homework, Waiting for Superman and Market of Choice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Running Away From Home and Saturday Night Live

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

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

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

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

Finishing Projects and Odd Auditions

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

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

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

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

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

'Cause that's how we roll.

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

Being In The Know and Halloween Candy

Currently I am trying to find out if there is anything happening back in town tonight. No such luck is happening... yet. I hope that changes. Anywho, let's take a look at last night and today.

Last night I went to a party down in Corvallis with people in my sister's class. Seems strange, but they actually think I'm pretty cool. (...That's not narcissistic.) It was a fun time just hangin' out, meeting new people and talking to people about random stuff. It might have not been one of the more intense parties out there, but I actually had a better time there than at some of those parties. I suppose I'm just kind of chill.

I woke up early today even after staying up until... 2? Yeah, I'm pretty sure 2. I woke up at 7:50 and couldn't fall back asleep because there is something wrong with me. I stayed the night at one of my sister's friend's house and watched Glee until my sister and her friend woke up. I can now say I've seen the first episode of Glee!

Rest of the day was doing laundry at home, then driving back here. It also involved eating a large amount of candy, especially my lover Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Why must you be so delicious?

 Now here I am in my dorm, hoping to find out of anything  happening tonight. I thought that I heard of something going on, but then my connection to that isn't even in town. If all esle fails, there's two showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show happening in Salem tonight. I've always wanted to go to a real showing... But that's a last minute plan because I'd rather go with a group of people. I suppose I will just have to see what happens. Hope everyone ends up having a lovely evening!

What are your Halloween plans?

Race for the Cure on 10/10/10

How fun is it that today was 10/10/10? That's pretty cool to me. There have been a lot of cool dates this year, including 9/02/10 and such. But enough about that!

I ran the very first Race for the Cure in Eugene today! It was a blast, even though the weather was awful. That's Oregon for you.

It was my mom, my cousin, a family friend and I who went together. We were all so miserably wet before it even started as you can see.

Not the most photogenic at times, but whatever. I ran with my cousin while the other two walked. We were doing pretty well, especially since my cousin was sore from basketball practice. We usually run the Portland one but couldn't this year since it was the day I moved in to college. We'll probably end up running both of them next year though.
Since it was the first year of the race, there weren't as many people as the Portland race. I still thought there was a decent amount.



Just look at that grey sky...

 Ali and I ended up running the race in about 29 minutes. Not too shabby! Usually the race takes us almost 10 minutes longer just because there's so many people in the other race.

Afterwards, we grabbed some goodies at some booths and heading back to the car until... I lost my phone. I was freaking out while Ali was telling me to chill. I did end up finding it though when someone returned it to the lost and found. I left it on the toliet roll thing in the bathrooms... Gross, I know. I was just glad I found it.

The rest of the day invovled drying off, coming back to Philomath, chilling there, and returning to campus in the evening. When I got back to my room, I knew it was time for my weekly weigh in. I was dreading it, but curious to see what the number would be, especially due to these factors:

1. I ran a lot this week (for me).
2. I've been doing Weight Training.
3. It was you know what time.
4. I've been eating a lot, and feeling slightly bigger.

My weight ended up being... 129 lbs! Yes! Now, you may be thinking, "But that's a pound heavier than last week!" You may have forgotten that I started out at 129. I don't mind being at 129. However, I feel I need to eat wiser this week. I've felt a little sluggish from what foods I've been putting into my body. This will be easier with that food from the farmer's market!

My mom started reading my blog, making her probably my first and only reader. (a little sad, I know.) So if you're reading this, hi mom!

On a last note, I ran into Danyon in the hall while on the way to brush my teeth. The more we've been talking the more we've realized we have a lot in common! It's fun having someone to talk to about random things.

I hope everyone has had a lovely 10/10/10!
Have you ever done something for a cause? What was the cause?

Once it's Friday...

...It becomes a ghost town here on campus. It's like when school gets out for the summer and people simply vanish.
I woke up early today even though I didn't need to and ran before class. It was nice to get it done! I ran for 22 minutes because I started to get killer side aches. I tried to run through it, but it lasted for something like 5 minutes. It added up to 2.25 miles today.

My room mate is trying to "jam" on the guitar. Unfortunately, she's a self-taught learner. Also, I don't think she realizes that a guitar out of tune doesn't sound good. It may be annoying, but we both need to work together for a common ground. That's what happens with a room mate.

In the social realm, I've been having some issues with separating from people. I'm trying hard not to only hang out with my room mate, but somehow everything ends up being something with her. And this is the other thing that made me realize we need to separate. We were talking to someone from our hall and she said (basically), "Well I don't like those people because they're NERDS." This pissed me off. I've always toned down her, "Oh she likes to hang out with only certain groups", but this is ridiculous. I've never fit perfectly into a group. I have friends who are "nerds", I have friends who are "cool". You shouldn't judge being a friend with someone just how they seem to fall into a stereotype. Thinking you're cool doesn't make you cool.

I took a nap today with  pretty much everything still on my bed. That was interesting. Another thing that happened? I left my keys in my room, so I had to be let it. My room mate ALWAYS loses her keys, and I always have to help her out. When I need keys? She's not around. Not fair!

I'm going home for the first time this weekend! I've been trying to avoid it, but my mom asked if I wanted to do a Race for The Cure run in Eugene. Since it's closer, it's easier to stay down there.

I hope everyone has a lovely Friday evening! I'm going cosmic bowling tonight!
How do you deal with friends who are judgemental?