New Year, Old Goals

Welp, the end of the year is here! What a year it has been. 2010 has been a pretty good year for me. I've:

• Graduated from High School
• Started college
• Started running again
• Went to state for high school tennis
• Turned 19

I'm sure I've done a lot more than that, but it's so hard to compile everything happening in one year in your mind.

Many people around me dismiss the idea of the new year's resolution. I've been taught that you need to make everyday goals. One specific day shouldn't be the only day you try and make big goals. I've read it on blogs, I've been told by my mother. Really, this is good advice. I've read that a high percentage of people give up on their resolutions only a week after the new year has begun. Yeah, that's a bit of a downer, but people can also make some great resolutions.

For me? I think I'm going to look in review at my goals that I made at the start of this blog. Let's see how they've changed/how I've been doing with them.

1.Get a Degree
I'm still working on that quite obviously, ha. I have gotten 17 credits from my first term. Slowly working my way. I still want to find out what I want to do with my life. I don't even know if I'll finish my degree at WOU! We'll see by the end of the year, eh?
2. Not Gain the Dreaded Freshman Fifteen
I've noticed this bothers me less and less. I still want to make sure I don't gain fifteen pounds, but I think my running has helped me with that a lot. I fall back and forth between weight.
3. Travel Abroad During my Junior Year
This has changed a little bit, simply because I've been looking into maybe going abroad next year instead. I know I still want to be able to travel abroad though. I'm just not sure when.
4.Stay Out of Debt
I've been spending more money than I should I think lately. I worry way too much about money, but this month has been a crazy spending one. Yes, part of the increased spending has to do with buying gifts, but there's been a lot of other spending in there. Watching out for that.
5. Keep My Grades Up
I think my grades looked pretty nice last term... Let's keep it up!
6. Make Friends
I'm still working on this. It's hard trying to make really good friends at the beginning of school. Sure, there are some nice people, but are they great friend material? Still trying to figure that out. One of the recent things people have been telling me are that you don't make great friends until you get more into your major. Geez, that's awhile from now! Well, who knows.
7.Post a Blog Entry Everyday
Even though there's been some rough posts, I've still managed to get my posts in. Maybe after the first year, I'll stop posting everyday. What's the point of writing if it's jibberish? I still want to finish off the year with a post everyday though.

Well, I'll keep working towards these goals. I'll also keep working to get ready for the half marathon and other things that come my way. I'll see you all next year!

What goals are you working towards in the new year?

Avoiding Diary Syndrome and Celebrity Look Alikes

So close to the end of the break. At first I felt weird to be out of school, but now I don't want to go back! Well, I just don't want to have responsibility again. But whatever.

The biggest problem I've noticed with posting everyday is falling into diary mode. Some days, I simply cannot think of anything to write. I start writing pretty much daily goings ons. Usually, people don't care about details in a random person's life. Once in awhile is interesting, but the best blogs talk about other things. How do you think of creative other things to write?

Here's a random other thought on my mind. People love comparing others to celebrities. There's always the "You know you who look like? You look like *insert famous person here*" You know most everyone has had this happened to them.  Even famous people are compared to looking like other famous people. I like to be known as my own person, just because I'm narcissistic. However, when compared to a celebrity, I've been told I look like Alicia Silverstone. Yeah, the girl from Clueless.

Have a lovely evening everyone!
What celebrity have you been compared to?

Physical Therapy and Stuff

Do you ever have those days where at the end of the day, you don't remember what all you did? Today seems like one of those days.

I did go to a physical therapy thing today for my foot. My mom helped me set up an appointment for me because she's more worried about me than I'm worried about me. I've never had a physical therapy appointment, so it was a different experience. For part of the time, I got what felt like a foot massage for awhile, but it was bizarre because I was supposed to say what hurt and what didn't hurt.

I also went to a very nice bakery today for my cousin's birthday. Fancy cake is the best.

The junk food of the house is slowly fading away. Probably a good thing.

Night everyone!

Old Friends, Old Setbacks

My dad is watching The Proposal right now. I think it's safe to say that living in a house full of females for more than two decades has melted his masculinity. I wish I liked that movie more, but I just don't feel like Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have enough time to actually form their relationship into love. Yes, this is me over thinking a movie.

Today I dined with two of my old friends for lunch. Being with them brought back feelings I wished I didn't have. Feelings of... inadequacy.

The weird thing is while I was talking I realized I've been doing some really great things. I did well for myself first term, I've been working hard at making my life into something special. Heck, I'm training for a half marathon! Yet in the presence of these friends, I feel unaccomplished. It could be their expressions, their tone of voice, the way they talk about their lives. Strange thing was, when I thought about it later I realized that only one of the friends was like this, and it was the one who I used to be closer to. She felt pretentious, really. The friend who was more distant before seemed interested, and made the conversation feel more equal.

What do we do about these friends? I've started to learn that I shouldn't hang out with people that make me feel like a lower life form. It's just strange because I've been close to this friend for a long time. Is it better to have a friend who makes you feel like a loser or to lose a friend that you've created many great memories with? It's a hard thing to decide.

I woke up at 11 today. That is the latest I have woken up in a freakin' long time. Wonder how much later I'll wake up this break. This might mess with my 8:00 am classes next term.

100th Post and Bugs in Bed

My goodness, it appears that I am to my 100th post already! And yet, I don't have anything super exciting to write about. Today was one of those days where you start cleaning one little area that ends up turning into cleaning the whole house.

Last night right before I was going to go to bed, something caught my eye. Crawling on my sheet was something about a centimeter long, brown and fuzzy. I believe it was some sort of catepillar. As soon as I saw it, I sat up, left my room, and proceeded to sleep on the couch downstairs. This is the second time in my life where I have gotten out of bed and slept somewhere else because a bug has reared its head in my bed. (The other time was when I was in middle school and a spider fell into my bed from the ceiling. I didn't sleep in that bed for days.) I'm not too worried about bugs most of the time, but if they want to have a slumber party I say no way.

Not much else is giving me creative juice for the evening, so I'll leave y'all with my little bug story. I hope everyone has a lovely evening!

How do you feel about creepy crawlies?

Christmas Loot, Running With Bad Fuel, and Old Friends

How was Christmas day for everyone? Or, how was yesterday in general? I had a lovely day, in case you were wondering. I also received many lovely gifts. Some things that I got I didn't even know I wanted, but as soon as I unwrapped them I thought, "Oh my gosh I needed this!" Well... maybe I didn't really need it, but I really liked.
In my family, we actually enjoy receiving clothing so I got quite a few clothing items. I won't show the clothes, but I will show you some of my other gifts.

My grandma gave me Apples to Apples, and I am seriously glad she did. It is one of the funniest games to play ever in my personal opinion.
I asked specifically for the three books on the right. My personal library now has a touch more of Internet-based literature via The Book of Awesome and Stuff White People Like. I am currently trying to see just how white I actually am.
I also asked for that harmonica necklace, and it is a pretty cool necklace. People notice it and it's fun to play with.
The running calendars are really cool. I can't wait for January to start recording in the book! Right now I use my school planner.
The tea set is from my aunt, who I didn't even know was getting me a present! How sweet!
Other gifts not pictured include some head wear (hats), a necklace from my sister and the game Balderdash from my sister. I had never played Balderdash before, but it is hilarious. I suggest you play it.
Yes, I realize I'm pretty spoiled. At least I admit it, right?

Christmas isn't all about gifts of course. We had a lovely day with some of my family and played games until late in the night. No one knew that it was 1 am by the time we were done! Simply put, it was high up there on the good Christmases scale.

I went on a run today, and boy my body let me know it was not pleased. My body hasn't seen a decent amount of fruits and veggies in days. I honestly haven't been eating extremely large quantities, but it's only been pretty much sugar. A chocolate Santa for breakfast on Christmas day? Nuh uh.
During the run, the body bitched me out. Oh, it moved perfectly fine. However, the stomach was screaming. I did manage to get 10 miles in! I'm happy about that.

I visited one of my best friends from high school this evening! It felt kind of weird though. Mainly because she has a boyfriend and acts a bit like she's married now. Not something I'm used to. Well, she's still herself. Funny thing, we got the exact same GPA for our first term/semester at college! We rock.

I hope my rambling wasn't too much for y'all out there! I hope you all enjoyed your lovely holidays!

What's an interesting gift you received this year?

Merry Christmas

It's 8 in the morning and I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. To those out there who don't celebrate Christmas, I realize that all the Christmas talk can get annoying, so sorry about that. Hope everyone out there has a wonderful day! Now get off the computer and spend time with the people you care about.

Traditions and Christmas Eve

Stopping by to post a quick post before bed. Christmas is in less than an hour in this time zone, and we've just finished up doing things for tomorrow. I might even have some cleaning to do yet! Yeah, we'll see how that turns out.

Everyone has traditions for holidays, and my family is no exception. I'm not sure when we started some of the traditions, but my favorite tradition is on Christmas Eve, after going to church service going over to the local Indian restaurant for dinner. I think it's such a fun tradition. My sister and I also always get a pair of pajamas on Christmas eve. I wonder when we'll be too old for that? Frankly, I'm still a child at heart.

I've been slacking in the blogging world, but that's what happens with the holidays. I have much to talk about, but my mind is in so many places I can' think of what I want to say. Eh. After tomorrow I should be back to normal.

Night everyone! I hope you have a lovely evening!

What quirky traditions does your family have?

Junk Food Fuel and Running Off Days

Huzzah!
No real reason for that, I just heard that phrase and I didn't know how to start the post.

Today I discovered many things about my running. One thing I will never do again? Never take two days off from running ever again. Also, never fuel yourself with pretty much only cookies. It's like filling a car's gas tank with grape Kool-Aid. You're filling it with something, but it's not the same. Augh. I did not realize that I had swallowed a boulder, or what felt like one in my stomach. Owah. I ran 8.75 miles though! Nice.

Whenever I run, I start thinking of my body as a machine. Here's how the thought process works:

Hey, how are you doing legs? Working pretty good, keep moving forward. Stomach, how are you feeling? Ooh, kind of feeling gross. Head? Yeah, snot coming from ya. Nasty.
Sure, the machine can be a bit dysfunctional at times, but it works for me.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! What! Can't really think much right now, so no more stuff from me.

How does your body react to bad fuel?

baking cookies and off track

as usual, i am unable to get to a computer to write a post that is gramatical. truth be told, there is a computer a few feet away, but it is not possible to get to it right now.
i am seriously off track on just about everything. my eating, sleeping and running is all off. i did not run today, and i did not yesterday. i feel terrible about it... but scheduling has been thrown off when i am trying to make things figured out. when i start getting plans together, people around me push things around. what can you do?
what i did do today was bake cookies. i am exhausted. more later i suppose.

Holiday Timing and Classic Movies

The funny thing about the holidays is timing. For weeks, it felt like people were talking about them way too soon. I roll my eyes, thinking about how ridiculous people are weeks in advance. Yet, here we are with only a few days until Christmas. How crazy time is, ain't it?

The other day I mentioned that I didn't get much sleep the night before. The reason? I decided to watch a certain movie right before bed. I figured since the ending was spoiled, it wouldn't freak me out right? Well, this is what movie I watched:

And despite a main character's deathly plot twist at the end, I still got the creeps. Seeing a kid with a gunshot to the back of the head does not put me at ease. Plus the guy at the beginning? Creepy times one hundred in my book.

I decided to watch The Sixth Sense because I saw it on the Top 100 movie list from AFI. I've always wished to finish a list of top movies like that, partially just to say that I had. Currently, I've only watched seventeen from the list. I will watch more before this break is over.

I always like to think of myself as a movie buff, but honestly I have not seen a lot of the movie greats that people always talk about. I constantly hear about The Godfather, but I've never seen it. I only just saw Back to the Future for the first time about a week ago. Yeah, that's not on the list, but it's a classic. I just want to have something to back up my claims of being movie savvy.

Cookie party with the cousins tomorrow! Hooray!

What "classic" movie have you never seen?

Graduations, Christmas Parties and Getting Out of the Slump

Ah, it's good to get out of a slump! I feel as though I can officially say I am out of it.

Yesterday was quite a day, and even though today was not as eventful, it was still a grand day indeed.

My mother graduated with her masters degree in teaching yesterday. If you knew my family in real life, you would understand that this is a pretty big deal. My mom has worked as a chemist and one day decided that she wanted to get her teaching degree. She has been busy for so long. Truthfully, she'll still be super busy, but now that's out of the way.

After having a little celebration for her, it was time for my sister and I to head off from that fiesta to a Christmas party. Well, I was crashing. Whatever! I was invited to crash, plus I brought food. There were many fun things, but the best part was the gingerbread making contest. Ours rocked.

Yes, that is a converse. ...With a severed leg included.

The secret santa was also entertaining despite not having a gift.

I didn't do much today, I'll admit. The one thing I did do that officially pushed me out of my slump? I ran my long run today. Yeah, on a Monday. Weird. And I ran the distance of a half marathon. Slump officially defeated. I can also take pride in the fact that I did not get a decent amount of sleep last night. More on that later.

Slump defeated, and I'm off again!

an eventful day after days of blah

once again, i do not know what time i will be able to write a legitamite post, so i am posting just to make sure i have a post for the day. will edit later

In A Slump

I've figured out my issue lately. I've been in a slump. That what winter does sometimes.
Due to the slumpness, I really just don't have much to write about today. I must go and do more!

Well, I did make some cornbread muffins. ...Is that seriously it? Goodness!

Have a lovely evening y'all!

Rules of The Universe

As I have gone through life, I have begun noticing many rules of the universe. These are things that are bound to happen. We don't know why, but they ALWAYS happen. One of my favorites is when you do something really awesome, no one actually see you do it. After you can't do it right, then everyone looks. Many of these rules of the universe are things that people used to like on Facebook all of the time.

Which brings us to today. You know how I mentioned my foot pain the other day? Well, it seems to be getting worse. That takes us to another rule of the universe I'd like to believe is true. Only when you start getting really good at something is when it starts working against you. My foot feels like it's deteriorating. I regret not having enough calcium in my diet now.

Once again I went out to a movie with my sister. Today we saw How Do You Know. Personally, I thought it was okay. The dialogue sounded real to me. My sister on the other side hated it. We both guessed what EW would rate it, and guess who guessed the exact rating? That's right, me. She was just angry that I declared my excellent skill when someone was saying an answer on Cash Cab. Seriously? It's Cash Cab.

I need the Christmas spirit! Also, I need to find out what's happening in town that no one's telling me about. Well, nothing could be happening, but if something interesting is happening, I want to know.

What's one of your rules of the universe?

Foot Pain, Narnia and The Power Struggle of the Siblings

I feel as if I didn't spend enough time doing nothing today. I actually was... productive. Who does that?

Since Tuesday night, my left arch has started to really hurt. No. No no no. I was able to run today, but there were a few twinges of ouchness. I need to do my long run for this week still, but I don't want to screw up my foot. Maybe I'm over thinking it.

I ended up seeing the newest Chronicles of Narnia movie with my sister and dad this evening. WOW they did not even try to tone down the religion. "Come to Aslan's Land!" "I will always be watching over you, I am just known by a different name in your land." C'mon Narnia.

Being the younger sibling, the older sibling tends to believe that they should receive anything you have before you do. The older sibling out there might be scoffing me right now, but it's so true.

One item that the older sibling must possess if you already have it in your hands is the magazine. At least it's an example in my family.

The first instance of this happening today was this afternoon while I was reading a People. It was sitting clearly in front of me when my sister walks up to me and asks, "Can I read that?" Luckily in this moment, I had a distraction magazine to toss her way.

My other instance happened when I was walking up the stairs. I looked  over and squealed seeing the new issue of EW. (Yeah, I'm that weird.) Now, before this moment, my sister was on the other side of the house. Right after I got excited and picked up the magazine, she appears on that side of the room to say, "I was just going to read that." At that moment she yanks it from my hands. What. What just happened.

The older sibling feels they should get things first since they were there first, don't they? I don't know what another reason would be. Course, I've been trained to be commanded. It's been a long struggle trying to fight it. I don't think I'll ever officially be untrained. That sucks.

Are you the older sibling or younger sibling? How does power work with your siblings?

Errands, Eyes and Effort

Can you believe that it's already the 15th? I cannot. Christmas is coming closer and closer, which means gifts need to be bought. Luckily, I got most of my Christmas shopping done today! Lovely lovely.

This was simply an errand running day. I got my eyes checked out. Those tests always make me think my eyes are terrible, but then they tell me my eyes are in excellent condition. Huh. The eye exam also included getting my eyes dilated. Oof. Getting my eyes dilated messes with half my day because my sight is blurry, causing me to be dizzy.

Just found out my grades! I'm not sure if I'm pleased or slightly annoyed. For instance, I'm actually happy with the B that I received in English. I was worried that my grade in that class was going to be low. The one grade that I was annoyed with was my B+ in History. Yes, that may sound like that annoying kid in class, whining about why they got the score 96/100 instead of 99/100. However, I did EVERYTHING right! I participated in every class discussion, read every reading! For goodness sakes, I wrote for two hours straight for the final! The main point is I feel like I gave 100%, but got 85% back.

Not much to say today. I need to stop writing these entries with distractions, I can never actually comprehend what I'm writing.

How do you feel when you get your eyes dilated?

Mani/Pedis and Magazines

With my family, there never seems to be concrete plans. This can be frustrating, but sometimes it can lead to some pretty delightful happenings. Today's example:

Yes, my mom got my sister, cousin and I mani/pedis. How fun! It's a bit of an early Christmas present from her, which makes me realize more and more that I've got to get done with the rest of that stuff.

This evening, something made me make a noise sort of like,
"HOA HOA HOA HOA HOA HOA!!"
Now, what could make me make such a ridiculous noise? My favorite magazine Entertainment Weekly arrived.

I might seem a little off for getting so excited for a magazine, but I seriously can't wait for the new issue every week. I scrounge through the mail on Friday, hoping that it will be there. Not really sure why it came today, but as you can see, I was pleased anyways.

As newspapers seem to slowly be disappearing, it seems like magazines will continue to be around. Sure, Kindles are starting to have them, but there's something about just having one in your hands that feels different. Then again, I'm also one of those types who would rather have a real book than a screen that you tap to see the next page.

I could ramble on and on about how magazines are awesome and wonderful, but I'm not really in the mood to write. I just want to get to my EW!

What are your favorite magazines?

Mondays and Communication Issues

Today does not seem like a Monday...

When I get back home, there are things that come up that are forgotten about until we're back. The big thing I always forget about is the way my sister, mom and I hear the way we talk. Sound a bit odd? Let me explain.

There are many moments where for instance, I will say something in one tone of voice. I think that I sound calm, but apparently it sounds angry in other ears. This leads to my sister becoming angry sounding to me, then I feel crappy. This tends to happen back and forth for my mom and I, and my sister and I. I always think, "Hey, our communication will work okay. I'll let it not bother me."
Of course it does. That's just how life works. Will we ever be able to communicate with the right sounding emotions in our voices? I highly doubt it.

People will never be able to talk perfectly. There's different opinions and ideas for a reason. There's wars for that very reason. Sometimes, it would just be nice if everyone sounded the way the meant to sound to someone else.

'Scuse the ranting. Just on my mind. Boo. Brighter things are happening tomorrow!

Do you have lack of communication with people close to you?

The Freedom Contradiction

Funny that tomorrow is the beginning of the week, yet I have no actual work. This is where the people who do have work tomorrow become irritated eh? Well, you're getting paid so there are perks.

The odd thing about having a break happen at the point right before a break and the point as soon as the break starts. Right before the break, you think about all of the new free time you have, and how many things you'll be able to get done. Then as soon as the break starts, well... it takes a lot more effort to get to that point than you think. This happens to me, and I know it happens to other people.

Why do we do this?  Could be that when we get to that point, it feels like the break will go on forever. Of course, we all know it doesn't, and then we feel thrown back into our regular lives withone doing all of the awesome activities we wanted to do.

Perhaps it can be best described by a line found in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes:

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."

That quote might not be 100% right, but it's the general idea.

The new week begins, and adventures shall occur tomorrow!
I did visit my friend's new apartment this evening. I'm actually making movement!

How do you start getting things done during a break?

Running Is Sexy

Oof. I am seriously tired tonight. Yeah, I'm cool like that.

Today was long run day! Once again I ran a 12 mile run. Next week I'm running a 13 mile. Whoa.

Through all of my running, there has been one thought that has repeatably gone through my mind:

Running is Sexy.

The copious amounts of mucus I have excreted from my body during runs would beg to differ, but I think it's true. Running is extremely sexy.

First of all, running makes me feel sexy. Yes, there are many parts of it that don't make me feel sexy too. One of those reasons is mentioned above, and there are also times where I feel completely terrible during the running process. However, there are many magical moments that make me feel fantastic. Like, when you've gotten into the motion. You feel great, right? You just feel good. Another thing is when I just get done. Being an Oregonian, I am unusually pale. But when I finish running, there's color in my face. I look alive! And quite honestly, looking alive is an attractive feature.


Sorry RPat, the dead thing isn't a turn on. At least for most normal people.

 The other thing that makes running attractive well.... I'm not quite sure. There's a few things. Of course you can get amazing legs from running and get into shape, but there are runners out there who are overweight too. You know what? There is still something about them that makes them sexy. When you are a runner, you have amazing strength. Whether it's a mile or a marathon, just getting out there is incredible.



Think about these guys. They finished a freakin' marathon. Are they stick figures? No! Who cares!

 It kind of goes with the confidence idea. When you think of yourself as confident, everyone else will see you as confident. Don't my runners out there feel like sexy beasts after completing an awesome run? I do.

So go out there and run! It doesn't matter if it's only a little bit, running is wonderful. You are using your body for amazing things.
(Well, your body can do other amazing things, but let's not talk about those things now, shall we?)

Feel sexy. Be sexy. Run.

Yeah, I may sounds like a complete goofball. That's just what I think. Besides, if I feel sexy from something, doesn't it mean it's a good thing?

Starting tomorrow, it's time to begin getting things done. ...Other than running. Have a nice night!

Does running make you feel sexy?

Winter Break Motivation and Laugh Tracks

The weekend is upon us...  however, it feels like it started yesterday. Anyways.

Today I acheived... nothing. Absolutely nothing. Well, I did go to the Pepsi Christmas display with me sis and dad.

With doing nothing, this included my sister showing me the show How I Met Your Mother. What I've seen of it, I like it pretty well. Plus you know, NPH, Jason Segal, and Alyson Hannigan are pretty awesome people. The thing is, one of the things that makes it feel weird to me is a laugh track.

You see as I mentioned before my favorite shows are Glee, Raising Hope and Community. (Geez, this makes me sound like all I do is watch TV. I swear, I do other things.) Something that all these shows that happen to have in common are that none of them have laugh track. In my personal opinion, this is better. I have two reasons are:

• I don't feel a forced laugh. When there's a laugh track and I don't laugh, I wonder why I didn't laugh. Did I just not get it? Or sometimes there's a laugh track and I think, "That wasn't really funny. Huh."
• I can laugh at what I think is funny. When you're watching a show with a group, sometimes one of the most hilarious things is when someone starts laughing like crazy at something that wasn't even that funny, then everyone starts laughing because that one person made it funny.

That's just my thoughts on that subject. Random? Perhaps. Just what I was thinking about.

Whoa. The last two days? I have been pretty much eating like a billy goat. If it is in my pathway, it is consumed. This needs to change. I need to get on track. My body is not used to no fruits and veggies. Plus, I need to get my long run done tomorrow because it was not done today. Reasoning? I didn't drink enough water during the day, and I knew I would keel over if I tried earlier in the day. Tomorrow? No excuses! Goodness. (Also, I made myself an awesome running path. It will be an adventure.)

I hope y'all have a lovely evening!
Do you prefer shows with laugh tracks or not? Or do you prefer shows like dramas?

Winter Break, Christmas Songs and Positive Pessimistics

Ah, it's good to be home.

I am officially done with my first term of college. What a feeling eh? Actually, I don't know how to feel. I don't feel... different? I feel like it should feel bigger. Eh.

Now that winter break has begun, I feel like I should be able to talk about holiday things. Well, the real reasoning behind talking about holiday things is because of something that's been on my mind or the last two days, and that's Christmas songs.

All of these thoughts about Christmas songs began earlier in the week when my Christmas-obsessed hall began becoming more musical with their spirit. I like most Christmas songs, but there is one specific Christmas song that crushes my soul. That song is Last Christmas by Wham! Guess what song is the most loved by my hall mates. Oh yeah.

Yes, Last Christmas is a song that is loved by many. Just not me. I think the thing that bugs me about the song is that it just doesn't flow. I have trouble explaining it, but that's the best I can do. Just, no. I can't do it.

So what type of Christmas songs tickle my fancy? That brings us to the last episode of Glee. One of the songs that I have been listening to over and over from that episode was the song Baby It's Cold Outside sung by Kurt and Blaine. I love songs that remind me of 1920s/1930s, and this is one of those types of songs. If you use old fashioned words in your songs, points for you. Like swell. Swell is... well, a swell word.

Okay, I could just be on a Glee high. That was a good episode though.

One to a different subject, but another thing that has been on my mind. I was talking to a class mate about view on grades, and he said,
"I usually think that I'm gonna get bad grades, but then they turn out better than I think. It feels pretty awesome."
This made me wonder about the downside of thinking positively. I try to think I'm going to get a good grade, but then it turns out that my grade isn't what I think. I've also been terrified that a grade will be atrocious, but happily my grade is a lot better.

So here's my question. Is it better to be pessimistic about a grade and have it turn out better? Or, is it better to be optimistic about grades and then have them turn out worse?

Before I go, What's your favorite Christmas song? What's your least favorite Christmas song?

Treasure Cookies and Getting Ready for Break

Thank you guys for the well wishes for my finals! The verdict? I believe I killed them! Well, for the most part.

My last final was History this morning, and whoa. The teacher thinks a good essay is about 3-4 pages in the large blue books. There were three essays along with two definitions. Personally, that's a lot of freakin' writing. I wrote right on through those two hours of test time. By the time I was done, I was dizzy from writing so much! Writing can take a lot out of me sometimes if I'm seriously writing.

After the finale of my finals, I caught up on my Tuesday shows Glee and Raising Hope. Ah, how great were they? Holiday-themed episodes are seriously the best. The one downside I've realized is that they probably won't have any new episodes until the new year... Curses.

Since there was no more studying to do, what did I spend the entire rest of the afternoon doing?

That's right. I made cookies. No, that's not really dough, that's just butter and sugar mixed together. It just looked cool. I'm one of those people who loves to give gifts to people, and I thought it would be nice to give some hall mates something. This lead to the thought, "What if someone feels left out?" This ended in me making a huge batch of treasure cookies.



This was after I had already stuffed some bags with cookies. There were about 100 altogether.

 If you've ever had treasure cookies, you'll know that they are delightful cookies with pieces of candy hidden inside. I have very distinct memories of searching through a batch of said cookies, on a mission to find the cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter cups inside.
I love the classic treats, but the more I hear about raw desserts, the more they sound delicious. I should look into venturing to get some during break.

I can't wait to go home, but I have to get all packed up first! It's one of those things where you just don't know where to start, you know?

Do you make gifts for other people? What type of treats bring back memories?

Finishing Finals and Anticipation

This week seems to be a mix of feeling really fast and really slow. Sometimes I think, "Wow, it's only Tuesday" and "Wow, it's already Tuesday evening!"

I have completed yet another final! One more, then all done! Woohoo! My final was for English, and I think I did alright. There were two questions where I was wondering what's up, but I believe it went well. We also got our essays back. My score? Once again, a B. Dr. Kagawa, shall I ever be able to reach your expectations? Curses! Well, I suppose it's not too bad, but I wish I would have gotten an A.

I ventured over to Waremart to get some supplies for gifts. Tomorrow after my final I will commence in creating said gifts. I'm super excited!

While creating a note sheet for my final tomorrow, I have been extremely distracted. I suppose it's from having the knowledge that winter break is almost here and tomorrow is the last final. The final tomorrow is for History, and I know that I know the material. It's being able to write so much about it that's getting to me. I'm worried because I don't write very quickly and there's a lot to be done. Let's just look at it positively!

I've refrained myself from watching Glee tonight, because I know I need to be all in for tomorrow's final, and Glee does not help me be all in. After 10 I can watch it. (I really want to watch it though. It's the Christmas episode!)

Do you get distracted near the end of finals?

Care Packages and Studying Stress

Ugh. Just... Ugh. Well, let's look at something else than ugh, shall we?

Today was my first final! One down, two to go! Truthfully I'd like them all do be done, but there's still much studying to be done! For the last one there is at least.

I received a Finals survival care package from my mom today. She had registered for it with the parent's club before school even started, so she's been talking about it for awhile, wondering why I hadn't gotten it yet. Well, I got it today!

How cute! The note next to it was the personal note that my mom wrote to me. She tends to think I don't eat enough. Honestly, the opposite came into effect today. There were just some fun little treats in there and all that jazz.

Another thing that I receive today was this little card attached to my door.

It's a letter from our RA. She posted them on everyone's doors and wrote little personalized messages in them. How sweet! I was surprised when I read mine though. She said I should really consider becoming an RA!
...Seriously? Wow. Do I seem like the RA type? I didn't think I seemed the leader-y type. Maybe one year I should think about it. Free housing right?

Our fire alarm in the building went off this morning. I now know how LOUD it is. Geezo. I was smart enough not to be wearing cold clothes before leaving the building.

I need it to be winter break, if only for being able to sleep. I ended up waking up at 6 this morning with going to bed around 12, and I don't run well on lack of sleep. I also didn't sleep well this weekend. I may have napped for about an hour this weekend, but it doesn't make up for extra hours loss.
(Also, I've kind of gotten to the breaking point of something  else, and it's beginning to make me pissy. No it's not my time of the month.)

Sorry to be a downer, but I tried to make it a bit light... Right?
The computer will be shut off after this, so some real work can be done for history! Tally ho!

Who usually sends you care packages?

Finals, One Acts and Strange Traffic Sources

My first final in college is tomorrow... What a weird thought. Didn't I just start school?

The final I have tomorrow doesn't worry me as much as my Tuesday and Wednesday finals. I studied for the Tuesday one today and I'm going to study for it more tomorrow. Still, I feel worried. I'd like an A in English, but I think it's most likely going to be a B. Blah. We'll just see.


I do not like you The Aeneid

We had the One Acts tonight. I think I did well! A little shakey, but I chilled out after awhile. I'm glad that I was able to do something like that! Just learning a little bit at a time...

Like every blogger, I like to see where I get viewers from (if any sometimes). I know that my mom looks at it, but I was curious who else thought my ramblings were a riveting read. This is where I came across some odd information. See below, but just look at the circled one:

See what it says near the end of that URL? Buy Viagra... seriously, what the heck? Why would... I have no idea. I've never seen it on my traffic thing until this week. Maybe they just like my blog?
I also looked at where my readers/lurkers were from. This is what I came up with:

I understand the U.S., but Russia Denmark and Malaysia? Huh. Russia's been off and on since I've started too, and I can't figure out what URL it's from. Well, it was an interesting thing to see.

Time to get a little more review in! I don't want finals to be here, but I can't wait until they're done!

What's the strangest referring URL you've ever had?

Civil War and Drowsiness

Today feels like Sunday. I'm so glad it's not, due to the fact that then finals would be starting. Oh dear.

Breakfast with Santa was... seriously? It was super lame. We even had to pay just to eat boring breakfast food! Santa was just sitting in the corner. It just sounded like it would be more... eventful.
Yeah, I realize how weird it sounds to say that we had to pay, but there are so many events that happen that include free food, I've gotten used to it.

I was convinced that the Civil War was going to be at 6 at night and was shocked to see it had already started at 12. I missed the first 30 minutes! This is what happens with miscommunication texts. Also the reason talking on the phone is better.
...What kind of teenager am I?
Anywho. The game was in my opinion, great! I was glad it wasn't a blowout like a lot of people were thinking.
My side? I may have grown up at OSU, and I love my beavs...



They're smelling more than roses this year. It's a good thing.

 ...But I gotta say, I love my ducks. Plus, they are rockin' it out this year.

The one act is tomorrow! Truth be told, the whole things has gotten a lot better since we started. I'm excited for it, but strangely a little glad when it's over. It's a bit stressful. I'm so excited I got to be a a part of it though!

Today otherwise has been... odd. I've slept a lot because I didn't get much sleep last night. Strangely enough I'm still tired. I also haven't eating anything that can be counted as real food today except maybe that apple. A slothly day? Perhaps. Definitely not used to it. I like eating real food. Back to normal tomorrow? Hopefully so.

The one productive thing I did today? I managed to put the sheets back on my bed. For pretty much a week I've been sleeping on only the mattress and white cover thing. It's been a distracting week. This could be the lamest I've ever been on a Saturday this school year. Do I care? Not really. I want to relax, so I will. Besides, finals are coming right?

Who are your home state rivalries in football?

Long Run of Hills and Boosting the Holiday Spirit

Wooah. Today has been an exhausting day, although today was also really a wonderful day.

Last day of classes! Fantastic! Doesn't feel like the last day, but then again finals are next week... Eh. Must start with the studying for them.

Once again it was long run day. Honestly, I was terrified for this run. This week my running was so difficult. Some of the small runs were super hard this week. I was sore like crazy. Lots of things to make me paranoid. However, I knew that if I didn't run today I wasn't going to want to tomorrow.

OH MAN. I have to say that I personally believe a mile up a hill should count as more than a mile on flat ground. My goodness! I ended up mapping out a map down a road that was pretty much all up hill. The wind was extremely killer as well. Can I mention that wind is my least favorite element ever? Seriously, I cannot stand it. Was it a super hard run for me? Yes. Did this sexy beast end up running her 12 miles? HELL yes. I might be super sore and tired, but I feel... accomplished. One more mile until a half marathon. Let's do this!





Will I make the mistake of not learning if the run is hilly or not? Probably yes.Why? Because I've done it before. The probability of it happening again is high.

After my run I ended up filling myself with sugary food. THIS IS BAD. I felt so sick. Once I ate some real food, I felt alright. Cookies? Not so much.

Tonight was the Tree Lighting Ceremony on campus tonight. It's a big town event that not only involves the college students but the town members. I was worried that I was going to miss the festivities because we had One Act rehersal planned for the evening. We ended up canceling it for the evening, so luck was with me to enjoy the festivities. Ah, let's just say that thought it was freezing outside, tonight was simply... happy.



The tree. A lot cooler in person.

 Truth be told, I'd been feeling down the last few days and tonight has just brought my mood through the roof. Walking on campus made my holiday spirit pumped up. That and... we're totally watching White Christmas in my hall right now.


My mom will sing the "Sisters" song all year.

 Oh yes. My Christmas movies are this, those old Rankin/Bass movies, The Santa Clause Parts 1 and 2, and Love Actually.

Cut that, Love Actually is one movie I will watch anytime of the year.

Tomorrow some of the hall mates and I are having breakfast with Santa! Plus it's Civil War tomorrow. YES.

What movies do you watch during the holidays?

Fat Squirrels and Apples to Apples

The squrriels are getting chubby around campus. This is probably because they're storing up some fat for winter, but I could be making this up. Either way, I find this hilarious. Chubby animals simply make me grin, I suppose.



They're not this fat, but I think this would be amazing.

Can I just say Apples to Apples is one of the greatest games ever? I learned about it just last year and have been laughed through games ever since. It is necessary that I obtain my own box.

One act practice... was not feeling positive on myself. May have also been due to the fact I needed food. I simply need to slap myself in the face!

I must start writing these entries out without distractions... Goodness!

What games do you love to play?

Completing Things, Essays, and Disagreements

Before I say anything else, I must make a statement. Today is December 1st. NOW it is appropriate to start blasting the Christmas music. Honestly, if you start hyping a holiday too early it loses flair. Holidays are special because they only happen once a year, right? Perhaps there are different viewpoints on this, but these are my thoughts.

The dreaded essay is finished! Judging from the reaction I received from the writing center girl, I've started to feel pretty good about it. ...Now time to worry about finals. Oh dear. Strangely enough, I'm feeling pretty good about them. I simply need to put in some good studying for English and History, and from the midterms I feel I can do it! Theatre should be pretty simple, just a few review words. (I got the score for my Costume Project today- 97%! Woohoo!)

On the One Act side of the world, I'm not feeling too great. My confidence is becoming shot because simply put I need a lot of direction. I know that I need practice in acting, but the other actor hasn't even been in a production before. Yet I'm the one who looks like a doof. Honestly, it's because I'm over thinking things. Why must I over think everything? I do not know.

My room mate was in bed by 8:45 tonight. She said how she was soooo tired, and she has finals tomorrow. I call B.S. on this. Why? She sleeps all of the time. I wake about 3 hours earlier than her, and she goes to bed at the same time as me pretty much every night. That's about 11 hours of sleep a night. Then again, lately most everything she does pushes my buttons. Maybe I'm just becoming bitter. Very possible.

I might actually get ready for bed after this post... We'll see what happens.

When do you psyche yourself out?

Tuesdays, Mrr Weather, and Messiness

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

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

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

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

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

Essays, One Acts and Running Reputations

Dear blog world,

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

Love, Me.

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

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

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

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

How do you write a good essay?

Homework, Waiting for Superman and Market of Choice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Running Away From Home and Saturday Night Live

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

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

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

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

The Day After Thanksgiving

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do you guys deal with differences in family opinions?

Thanksgiving

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

Changing Plans and Basketball Games

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

How do you deal with constantly changing plans?

Snow and Concerts

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

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

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

Time for sleep!

Have y'all experienced snow yet?

Busy days and First Impressions

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

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

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

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

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

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

What are your busy days like?

Finishing Projects and Odd Auditions

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

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

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

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

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

'Cause that's how we roll.

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

How to Run Like Hannah

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do your runs go?

Potter, Registration and Facebook

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you have awkward family members on Facebook?

Harry and Coffee

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

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

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

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

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

Good News and Hibernation Weather

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

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

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

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

Hmm, not enough steps for the day yet

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

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

What was the last exciting news that you received?

Up and Down and The Comparison Game

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thankful for Myself Physically

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What parts of yourself are you thankful for?

Getting Distracted

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

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

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

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

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

Generation "I'm Sorry"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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