Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! Did you have a good one? Mine was pretty swell, just super busy.

Cooking of different gourds happened today. I roasted a spaghetti squash, but have yet to try it. I was out the door by the time I had finished cooking it! All I know is that I think one side of it was a tad old, so it didn't cook right. Had to get rid of that half.

I also whipped up some pumpkin bread! Strangely enough, I kind of traded candy for pumpkin bread tonight. My aunt didn't get any of the chocolate candy, so they weren't that appetizing. Still snuck in a Jolly Rancher or two.

I agreed to volunteer for this thing at my school and let's just say... I might be on TV in the future. Next to a pirate and a "Halloween" type guy. You have been warned.

Other than that, not much else to report. Have a midterm tomorrow, and I'm freaked out about it. I've been told I'll do fine on it, but truthfully... I'm wishing this was a class I could have dropped. The thing is, I understand all of the information and what it means. However, for some reason that doesn't seem to translate onto paper. I'm just glad that this class is graded on a curve.

I'm so tired, I have got to get to bed. See y'all later!

How have you spent your Halloween night?

Life As A Duck: Halloween Weekend Celebrations

As night draws closer, it's obvious that it's time to get back to reality. I always have a nice time escaping reality for a bit though.

Funny that "Halloween" weekend is ending. Truth be told, there will probably be festivities tonight but I'm not participating. 8:00 AM class and a paper due tomorrow? Yeah, that's what I'm all about tonight.

This all brings me to another installment of Life As a Duck: Halloween Edition!

From what I've been told by the locals, there are two weekends that are the craziest here on campus. Those nights include the first week of school with all of the freshmen, and the other is Halloween.

For Halloween weekend, you don't have to venture far to find some shin-dig going on. As for the person who lives there, you're bound to have a connection somehow. For instance, my group stopped at this guy's house I needed to make an appearance at, and my sister ended up seeing someone she knew. Oh, the connections of college.
Don't worry, I didn't randomly show up to people's houses that I didn't have any connection to. That would just be weird.

Halloween here? A complete 180 from anything at WOU. Even if I did know people living in houses over there (Well, more than 1), I honestly don't think it could have been anything close to down here. Especially since, y'know people are actually walking around at night over here. Last year, I went down to OSU for festivities. Which is exactly what everyone else does, or to U of O.

Things I've learned and or seen from my last two nights include...

• A lot of people don't like to costume repeat. I was totally a costume repeated, but I'm fine with that. I like my Jolly Rancher dress. Twas a good conversation piece.
• How to Cat Daddy. Yeah.
• You will find many very lazy people at these parties. Meaning not even trying to put a costume together. Mostly guys are guilty of this, just because at least most girls try and wear nice dresses when they have nothing together. A guy from my WR class was wearing what I'm pretty sure he wore to class earlier that day. C'mon boys! Make it fun! Out of this group is the pretentious guy who comments, "Oh, I didn't think it was Halloween tonight. Am I wrong?" Of course it's not, but the only reason you're not dressed up is because you're lazy. No one likes that person.
• Two Asian exchange students took a picture with me because they liked my costume. Well okay.
• A drunk out of his gourd twelve-year-old who was about 3 miles away from his house with no money. At least he looked twelve. It was a little troubling. He talked like this: "Yeah, my bros left me, and I was just trying to find some sn*tch, you know what I'm sayin'?" I wish I was kidding.
• A guy who looks a lot like Justin Long, who I will call Marty from now on even though that's not his name. What can I say, if you introduce yourself with that name the first time, and I've been meeting a lot of people with your real name anyway, I'm going to call you Marty.
• I love seeing people from random things I know at places I wouldn't expect. Pretty much the way I started every conversation was what a person's costume was, so that led me to a guy dressed as Ron Swanson. Little did I realize it was a guy I'd talked to at APO! Like I said, random connections.
• I'm such a sucker for play on word costumes. I know they usually don't take that much effort, but I still love 'em. French toast was clever, and Quarter Pounder with Cheese? Nice. (He had quarters taped to his pocket and used a hammer to "pound" them.) Probably why I liked my sister's Friday costume so much. She was dressed all nicely and had a sign around her neck saying "I'm Sorry". She was a formal apology. I love it! Yes, you can judge.
• In the ways of the introvert, this weekend filled my quota of festivities for awhile. I love people, and I love going out to things, but it takes a chunk outta ya, especially me. Time to rest, recharge, and get pumped for a bit of chilling out. ...Except for worrying about that Economics midterm on Tuesday. Oh geez.

I know there's probably more, but I've already talked enough. Besides, I need to get some sleep. As for the actual night's festivities? I'm going to hand out candy at my aunt's house, and I'm actually really excited. I kind of love handing out candy, and you get to see all of the adorable costumes kids wear. Kids don't dress slutty, college kids do. That means more creativity, and I'm all about the creative costumes.

As a last thought, I know that I didn't post last night. I didn't forget either. However, when I got home I sat down, looked at the blank post screen and thought, "Yeah, this isn't going to happen." It was probably for the best, as I took to the call of the pillow as soon as the computer was shut.

Is it really time for the school week to start? Well... okay.

What exciting things did you do for this "Halloween" weekend?

Thus Begins the Halloween Weekend!

The weekend is here. That means it's time for Halloween weekend! I've actually returned from my first night of festivities, and have felt pretty successful in the costuming game.

Oh, I haven't show y'all my costume, have I? Well, it's simple, but I like it.
It's a type of food...
It's a candy...
It's a Jolly Rancher!

Yeah, not really sure what's up with the pose. Anywho, that's my costume and I'm stickin' to it. I just like making my own costume, you know? Even if it is fraying like crazy. Still, it helps it feel more original.

Well, that's all from me. I am exhausted, and I need sleep. May more exciting events occur tomorrow!

What are you dressing up as this Halloween?

Running Differently and Other Stuff

Recently, I've been doing a few things differently in the case of running. I've been

• Listening to my ipod on some runs
• Running with a partner
• Running in the afternoon

Okay, maybe I just like to convince myself that I usually run in the mornings. At least I was the weeks before my race.

APO has been interesting. I don't really know what to say about it, but I've been going to Chapter meetings and Pledge class. We have to get at least 10 hours of service each term, and I've got about 3 right now. I served pizza at a kid's carnival thing, and I'm helping at a booth thing on Sunday. I simply don't know how to really explain it. Maybe I'll think of ways to later.

Okay, time to get a move on for HPHY studying! I'm nervous about this test, but at the same time I feel like it shouldn't be too complicated. I'm just worried about how prepared I'll be. Almost 10... Good move Hannah.

Anyone else doing something different from their usually ways lately?

Halloween and The Avengers

Halloween is coming, and I've gotta be honest: I'm way behind schedule. I mean, I think I finally decided on what my costume was going to be two and a half weeks ago. Ridiculous.

I've actually had part of my costume for awhile now, but today was when I got the detail supplies. Which means putting it together has been happening this evening.
Surprisingly, it's been put together quite quickly. Currently, I'm at the slow part which is sewing but I'm feeling like I'm moving pretty well on it. Maybe watching Captain America while making it made me go faster. When it's done, I'll be sure to show it off!

The funny thing is, I have no idea what I'm doing for Halloween weekend. We all know it's the whole weekend, anyway. For now, I just need to worry about my costume.

Before watching Captain America, I was indifferent about The Avengers. Sure, it looks alright. Now, I'm starting to get excited. I think it's going to be a really fun movie! Plus, there's something about bringing characters together that seems exciting. It's similar to when TV shows cross characters over from other shows I suppose. It's like... universes colliding? What would that character do if they met that character? I don't know why I (or other people) like that idea so much, but maybe it feels like an inside joke.

As for the Avenger squad, I'm thinking Captain America's at the top of my list now. Poor guy defrosts about 65 years after he knows anyone? I feel for ya. Plus, there's something about his "Good ol' American boy" that's somewhat endearing. Iron Man is another one I like, which is kind of weird. Sure, he's a popular character, but he's kind of a dick. Seriously.

Oh, media industry you sneaky little sneak. You make all of these superhero movies, make us like/get to know them, and then make a big superhero extravaganza that's probably going to make y'all rich(er)? Ah well, I forgive you. I love these superhero movies.

Except Hulk. Hulk was a weird one. Just a lot of running around... in the desert. Then again, I never saw the newer one.

Do you like superhero movies? Are you excited for the Avengers? Who's your favorite Avenger?

Running Buddies, Dressing for the Weather and Rejection

Wasn't it just Monday night? I feel like that was just a couple of hours ago... geez.

Today I went on a run with my sister. This is the second time that I've gone running with my sister, and it's turning out to be quite a nice experience.

We've tried running together before this. It never turned out well. Sure, the runs would start out alright. Then, a critique would come out on running form. Soon, it would get to the point where we'd be bickering about pace, and how the other person was doing something wrong, and all of that good stuff. Yes, it's was a fun deal.

Lately, it's been pretty relaxed. It's been a nice change, because I'm so used to running by myself. Sometimes it gets lonely, you know?

In other things that are on my mind for the evening, the weather here has been ridiculous. Or obnoxious. You see, the morning start out cold, frozen-y and unpleasant. This means bundling up. However, it doesn't stay that way. You end up melting in the afternoon, wondering why on earth you thought it was a good idea to wear long sleeves. Oh right, because it was freezing that morning. Now, I'm definitely one for warm weather, but not when I'm ready for the big freeze clothing wise.

Lastly, applied for a position as an advertisement sales rep for the school paper earlier this week. Didn't get it. Ah, rejection. Truthfully, they probably thought I was too young, not wise enough, or some crap like that. Everyone else was a junior/senior, and they were all waaaaaaaaaaay business-y types. For instance, one guy gloated that he was the sole proprietor of a small business. ...Whatever.

Do you like to exercise by yourself, or with a friend?

Weekly Schedule, Gifts and Cooking Meat

Goodness, how is it already so late? Ridiculous.

Truth be told, I tend to like the beginning of my school week more than the end. Strange? I know, but there's a reason for my madness. At the beginning of the week, I have less to deal with in my classes. As the week goes on though, I start getting busier and busier. However, usually after class on Monday, I have quite a chunk of time. Today was pretty busy though. Eh, what can you do.

Before I finally stop talking about my birthday, I want to show y'all the lovely gifts I received.

My mom and dad (really, all my mom) got me this nice running gear:

Plus, that adorable apron. I can't wait to use it! I also got a jacket and a purse from her, although the jacket was an odd exchange:

"Hey, do you like this?"
"Yeah, it's cute."
"Good, you can have it for your birthday."
Yeah, that's how she works. She likes having excuses to hit up Ross and TJ Maxx.

My sister got me two very cool things:

Tikki Masala Sauce and the metal tin thing. Apparently, it's a type of lunch box thing from India, how cool! Reminds me of bento boxes. I can't wait to use it!

Finally, my aunt got me this:

A dumbbell, you ask? That's strange. Well it would be, but take another look:

It's a clock! I saw this in a magazine maybe a year ago, and I thought it was the most interesting thing. No, it's not interesting because it's a dumbbell. It's interesting because it's an alarm clock that you can't push a button to turn off. You have to do bicep curls. This tells you how lazy I am, doesn't it? I'll try to make an alarm make me do bicep curls. I'm trying it for the first time tomorrow.

It seems the theme this year was clothing, fitness and food, huh? Speaking of food...

My hopelessness in the kitchen has been getting better, but there's always one problem I tend to run into. Whenever I'm cooking patties or a chicken breast or something, my pan always turns into a pan filled with chopped up or crumbled meat. Why? Well, whenever I'm cooking, it appears that the outside cooks, but the insides never do. Then, as a precaution, I always end up chopping it all up (Yes in the pan. I'm kind of ridiculous like that.) hence always having chopped meat. It's fine for now, but I really think a burger could be nice.

To all of you cooking out there, I have to ask: how do I cook meat and actually get it cooked all of the way through?

Welp, that's all from me. Some magazine reading is in order perhaps? Probably bed would be better.

What's the quirkiest gift you've ever given/received?

Learning How to Grow Up?

I've got be honest. I haven't gotten a good chunk of solid sleep in about a week. I've woken up at least once during the middle of the night every night for awhile now, and it's not just a wink and back to sleep. It's like get up, bathroom, lay there for awhile and take a bit to go back to sleep. My mom says it's my body trying to get sick again. Good lord, I've been sick for two weeks, I don't need it longer than that. Last night was the worst, including waking up around 4 and not getting back to sleep until about 8:30. Ridiculous. I thought I'd put that out there for the fact that I might seem to be a tad unstable.

After contemplating my birthday, I realized what my problem was. I realized that as you get older... birthday just don't really mean that much. That's a part of growing up. Maybe the reason that I had so much trouble with this is that perhaps I don't want to grow up. Despite acting like I'm a forty year old women who works in an office, I still want to be a kid. I feel old for saying this, but I can't believe how much time I spent as a kid wishing I was older. Why didn't I just live as a kid, and be happy about it?

That's right, no one does. Everyone looks to the future, looking for the exciting things that could be. The freedom, the ability to have a job, the cool things that adults get to do. Why would you ever want to live with bossy parents telling you what to do all of your life?

Who knows, maybe I am growing up.

I think the other thing that's been freaking me out about growing up is doing things I dreaded falling into. What I mean starts with a busy week, or busy chunk of schedule. After spending a lot of time trying to get things done, your body starts getting tired, right? So, once you're able to take a break, you want to take a BREAK. That doesn't mean doing the things you wanted to get done in your free time, no. That means becoming a zoned out zombie and wasting big parts of your evenings/free spaces/whatever. I didn't want to become that, but I know I've fallen into times where I'll get some free time and I'll simply space out to whatever things I can find surfing the Internet. I won't get my room cleaned like I told myself, or I won't read that article that looked interesting. I'll just devour whatever will waste my time, which will just end up spilling out of my head in an hour anyways.

It's just another case of just working at it. That's weird, trying to work to function normally? Yeah. Trying to force myself to live in the moment. I've gotten a lot better at this, but it's still really hard for me. Also working at not becoming the god-awful zombie. I've got to write these mantras somewhere or something.

I was really hoping that I could get to bed early tonight, but that's obviously not happening. Which means I can't take NyQuil to try and help me sleep, because it'll be too late. Which just pisses myself off more, but what can I do? I didn't have a lot of time to do this assignment that I've been working on before, and... guh, I can't even deal with this shit right now. Remember how I mentioned how I'm having a little bit of a difficulty staying stable? Yeah, you can see that coming out right now. I'd better get my assignment printed... I hate not having a printed at home that works.

What mantras do you work at following?

Happy birthday to me! Well, officially yesterday, anyways.

Instead of another bullet list post, I'll try to think of something coherent to write.

This was certainly a weird birthday. It didn't really feel like a birthday. It just felt like... a day. where I went out to eat, and had some cake. Ate until I was sick, but it's my birthday, dangit. Still, it just felt weird.

I ended up staying up way too late the night before, and ended up waking up early again. Probably not the best idea, but what are you going to do, right?
I went to breakfast with my parents. I told them all about how school is going. I did laundry. I went out to dinner with my cousin and sister, who made me an amazing cake. The levels included cream cheese and funfetti frosting, red velvet cake, chocolate mousse, and a brownie/cookie mix. YUM.

But that's it. I was going to run today, but with the maybe 5 or less hours of sleep, and my body trying to shut down from overworking it/being sick, I thought it was okay to not go.

Being that I just moved to my new school, I'm still getting to know people you know? So, I just don't really have good friends to spend time with over at UofO. It just stinks, you know?

Like I said, it didn't feel like anything very different. Just an average day, with slightly above average events. I know I should be complaining, but... it just didn't feel special. Shouldn't turning 20 feel special? Sure, I could have made an event, but I don't really know anyone at UofO. Who would I invite?

Still, I'm super appreciative of my sister and cousin for going out with me, and making me an awesome cake. My parents are pretty great for taking me out to breakfast too.

How did you feel about turning twenty?

Last Day as a Teen

Tomorrow I turn 20. Really, I've been assuming I'm 20 for a few days now, but this is truly the last night of my teenager years. Weird.

Let's look at what I've done during my 19th year of life...

• Met a lot of new people
• Finished two years of college requirement Spanish
• Finished a year of college, in general
• Ran a half marathon
• Let my Type A personality out
• Transferred to U of O
• Moved into my first apartment
• Baked a good deal of bread
• Ran a marathon

Well! I think that's a pretty good list, don't you? Hopefully my first year of twenties will be just as exciting!

In other news, I participated in my first APO service program! It was fun, and I was able to dress up. Always a plus.
Had my first midterm of the term too. I was terrified... but then I felt amazing. I knew all of the things on the test. Let's just see how that turns out.

What was your last year as a teen like? When did you realize that the twenties weren't old?

Random Thoughts

Tonight, there's not really just one thing that's on my mind. Currently, my brain is kind of a scattered mess. So, here's my thoughts:

• I've got my first midterm tomorrow at eight. I also have to finish up a weekly textbook chapter (HPHY, why....), and this week it decided to be really complicated.
• I received a birthday present in the mail today. I can't open it until my birthday though. Why not just give it to me when I see you on Saturday, instead of mailing it and making it a tease. Seriously.

• Last night I had a dream that I was trying to sleep, and my room mates were being really noisy. When I asked them to be quiet, the flipped out and started attacking me. Then I woke up this morning realizing they're not evil. They're just disgustingly messy. Oy.
• Everything hurts. Why does everything hurt? Plus, I've got random bruises all over my leg. What.

• My overhead light has a fire and ice thing going on. It's weird. I guess that's what happens when you have an eco bulb and a non eco bulb in there.
• I turn twenty in two days, but I've been assuming I'm twenty for the past few weeks. Huh.
• I was baking some bread today, and wondering why it wasn't baking, I realized something... One of my room mates turned off the effing oven while I was baking. I wanted to slap a ho.
• I may break down because I can't find my scissors. Where the heck could they be, this room isn't very big!

Yeah. That's about it. Now to get back to studying... Oh god.

What's on your mind?

I Mean That Literally...

What happened to the word literally?

Now, I know that this is going to make some people (my sister) believe that I'm putting on the pretentious hat, but I'm serious!

Listen to a person's conversation sometime. Try not to be creepy about it, but just overhear what they're talking about. Somewhere, most likely, you're going to hear someone say the word literally. Now ask yourself: Are they actually using it the right way?

We all know what literally means. For instance, if a guy was told to "take a hike", and he thought they were being literal about it, he would actually go up into wherever and hike. However, people don't use it that way anymore. Nowadays, it's used like the word seriously. For instance, I've heard people say things like, "I literally thought I was going to be late for class, which literally freaked me out."

See? That's not right. Really, there's only one reason why this bugs me so much. It's because I used to really like the word literally. I know, liking a word. What a weirdo. With everyone using it so much, it becomes kind of like... the word like, you know?

But hey, who am I to judge I suppose? I use the word anywho, which isn't even a real word. Plus, I started that sentence up there with a but. Ridiculous.

That's what's on my mind for this evening. Also thinking about my midterm on Friday... Not excited.

What's a word that others misuse that you can't stand? Do you use any nonsensical words?

Disney for the Older Crowd

Today, I spent a little less than six hours watching Disney movies. Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I was with a group of people, so it's not as depressing as it sounds.

Disney movies are so bizarre once you get older. Actually, it's like that for all kids movies. There are some things that you don't notice before, like the adult humor, but then there's simple logic that defy the laws of physics that just make you wonder why that's like that. Sure, you don't really think about the craziness of a flying magic carpet, but how on earth did they get over to China so quickly? Plus, things just seem to disappear out of thin air, then reappear in random areas.

Yes, we had discussions about this. The agreed idea was that items were stowed in cleavage. Makes sense.

It's only Tuesday, but it feels a lot like it should be the weekend. I'm almost glad it's not yet, because I have stuff to do!

What was something you didn't notice at first from a kid's movie, then noticed when you watched it when you were older?

A Kind of Ridiculous Argument

A good deal of the left side of my upper body is sore. I wonder why....

Like most siblings, my sister and I get into arguments. Personally, I think we get into more arguments than other siblings, but who knows. What I do know is while some of our arguments have substantial points, there are some that start from something completely ridiculous.

Enter The Great Zombie Sticker Debate.

It all started the night before my race. I was staying the night at my aunt and uncle's condo. Knowing of my nerdy past perhaps, my uncle thought he would give me this sticker he got from work.

Clever right? I thought so. All was well in the universe until my sister got a look at it.

"What? I want that!" Chloe said. "Why would you get that, I'm more into zombies than you are."

And that's when the Great Zombie Debate began.

Now, it's not really about the sticker. The argument lies in who is more interested in zombies. My sister's argument is that she introduced me to the book World War Z (A great book by the way, even if you're not into zombies). I find that if that's her only argument, she has most definitely lost. Who has watched multiple zombie flicks? Me. Who went out as an undead tennis player for Halloween one year? You got it. However, she still thinks she wins the debate. I beg to differ.

Goodness, when did it become cool to like zombies? Oh right, The Walking Dead.


What's the most ridiculous argument you've ever had?

Life as a Duck: Getting Around

Don't you hate it when you hear someone getting in the shower just as you're getting ready to? And don't you hate it when you know the hot water only lasts for about ten minutes tops, so you have no idea how it's going to be when you get in? No, just me? Alright then. That's why I'm writing this now, instead of cleaning myself. Bleurgh.

I didn't write one of these last week, and now this thing is on Sunday? Will it ever have a permanent slot? I'm working on it. Anywho...

This might be Track Town USA, but there's not just runners here. There are bikes everywhere.
Bikes are probably the most popular mode of transportation in this town, and there are plenty of good reasons why. There are a lot of bike paths both on the roads and all around, so it's a great way to get around. Plus it's cheap and a good way to get exercise. Not paying for gas is a pretty big deal for most college kids, because they'd rather be spending it on... education. Let's say that.

As you know, I'm a little iffy when it comes to bikes. You know when you see people running and think, "Oh dear. I can walk that fast."? Think that, but on a bike. However, I've been hopping on my purple and silver ride quite a bit recently. (Good lord, is everything I own purple?)

I rode to Ross on Thursday, and decided it would be nice to ride over to my Aunt's house today to bake bread and study.
Now, when I bake bread, I use a baking stone. For homework, I needed to finish editing a paper on my laptop. I also thought it would be a good idea to do some laundry over there. Can you see where this is going?

That's how I rode over there. Sure it was only three miles, but with that... it's a challenge.
Luckily, I was able to get the laundry, stone, and bread back to my house without having to bike back with it. Still... I'm kind of an idiot for taking so much stuff in the first place.

On the ride back home, it became apparent how terrible at biking I am. What happened was I thought there was going to be an edge on the sidewalk, right? Well, I stopped. I stopped fine... and then I just fell over. I wasn't even moving, I just fell over. It didn't hurt because I wasn't moving, but it was just ridiculous. I just popped back on my bike and kept moving like nothing even happened. The whole scenario probably happened in twenty seconds. Geezus, I can't bike. Why am I considering signing up for tri?

Wasn't I talking about how students get around? Oh yeah. Other than biking, people walk a lot. And run. Sure, there's driving, but not much on campus because students walk everywhere. That includes in the streets. Therefore, it takes a car twenty minutes to get anywhere that takes five minutes to walk to. So walk.

As for the bread, I need to work on my baking time. This bread is undercooked, dangit! That's the second loaf I've underbaked. Surprisingly, it still tastes delicious. I'm still going to eat it, but I need to work on my baking time.

What sport are you ridiculously incompetent at?

Drawn to the Warmth

I like where I live. I've always liked this state, but there's one thing that makes me wonder how I live well here.That thing is cold weather.

Sure, I know that it doesn't get anywhere near as cold here as it does in many Eastern states. Then again, you'd have to pay me a great deal to live over there for those nasty winters. But as soon as the cold rainy days start to come, you can find me next to a heater.

I love heaters. It's a problem. When it comes to heaters, I'm like a cat to sunlight, clinging to every bit of heat available.

When I lived at home, heating wasn't a big deal. When I lived in a dorm, heating wasn't a big deal. Now that I'm going to have to pay for it, it's kind of a big deal.

Before I moved into my apartment, I told myself I wasn't going to turn the heat on at all. That sucker was on in about a week.

I have a problem. A toasty, cozy problem.

Do you like being overly warm, or cold?

Entering the Season

Seasons can be pretty meaningful for many people. There are seasons like fall that people enjoy for the cooler weather and falling leaves Then there are other seasons like the season of giving, which can start right around Thanksgiving and end after Christmas. Basically, there are seasons for everything, and right now there is no exception.

We've officially entered what I'd like to call Fat Season.

Fat season is known to many, but most people don't call it that. They call it the Holiday Season, yet a lot of women know it's a time of food, food, and more food.

I'm not saying it's a bad season. Once this season kicks into high gear, it includes time spent with family, fun free time, and happy memories. On the other hand, why do you think so many people make New Year's resolutions to lose weight? Two words: Fat Season.

There's delicious food everywhere, and food is given as gifts for many people. Don't think that people are going to be making healthy food, unless you proclaim to everyone that that's all you want. The truth in that statement is you're probably going to want the junk food, and most people will end up giving it to you anyway.
Yes, I've read the articles. Thanksgiving is only one day, don't make it into a week. You don't have to have food as gifts. We try, and as anyone knows, it's hard. Still, we try. That's all we really can do, right?

I'm not going to deny that there are always roadblocks in the way of healthy eating. Fat season might be a time where it's harder, but you're almost always going to have temptations to behave badly (with your food choices). Fat season is just a little harder.

You might be wondering why my fat season starts so early. That's because that's when the celebrations begin.
Yesterday was my sister's birthday, and there have been many an opportunity to celebrate. Her birthday marks the start of my Fat Season. The week after her birthday comes my birthday, meaning more treats. A week passes, then it's Halloween! My favorite candy in fun sized packaging? Yes please.

The season goes into a bit of a lull, then picks back up just in time for a few birthdays and Thanksgiving. Next of course is Christmas, and you know the time in between that is crazy. Top it off with New Year's, and you've got yourself another Fat Season come and gone. You're welcome.

I love when this celebration season starts, but I'm not looking to celebrate with some pals known as flubber attached to my body. I think I'll challenge Fat Season. I'm not sure what the challenges will be other than not gaining weight, but I'll make them. Hopefully Fat Season won't get to y'all either.

Bring it on, Fat Season.

When does your Fat Season start?

The Trouble With a Lack of Motivation

I don't know how else to put this... but I think I'm becoming a bad student.

There's really only one reason why I think this, and it's because I've been extremely lazy. You see, with all of my classes being basically midterms and finals, it's hard to keep motivated. When you have no assignments, and the professors don't even care if you're there, it feels kind of pointless. I've been wasting a lot of time, simply because I have a lot of time to do nothing. This frustrated feeling from accomplishing nothing? It's not a good look for me.
I'm two chapters behind on my Journalism reading. I need to get some notes from class that the professor went too quickly through online. I'm annoyed that there's
time I could have used to get ahead.

The thing is, I haven't missed any deadlines for turning things in. The first quiz in HPHY I got an 100% on, and I've gotten good grades on both of my EBs. I wrote a fairly decent paper for being a very rough draft in Writing. I've read the chapters for the first four chapters of Journalism, with notes. From that viewpoint, it looks like I'm doing pretty well. Still, while looking back at all of the free time I've had, it just seems crappy.

Yes, I realize I'm the effing annoying kid in class who feels bad when they got a 93 instead of a 95. Sue me. I just hate that feeling of looking back at your day and thinking, "Did I accomplish anything today? No. Well hell."

I suppose I did accomplish one thing today. I rode my bike a little less than 4 miles, got a part of my Halloween costume (!) and rode back. That's something, right?

How do you get yourself motivated when you feel like there's no reason to be?

Double Booking Meetings

Do you ever find yourself in an extremely comfortable position, and you simply don't want to move? Right now, I'm feeling that way about a corner in my room next to the heater and a pillow. Damn the overhead light being so far away.

At times, it feels like all of your priorities are happening at the same time. The rest of the time you're completely free, but when it comes to that specific time, everything has to be happening.

That's how my campus involvement is going. Currently, I've been going to the Alpha Phi Omega meetings and University Film Organization meetings. They are both Wednesday evenings.
Surely, this normally wouldn't be a big deal. However, while at the UFO meeting (yeah), I heard about another club that sounded interesting... with meetings on Wednesday.

I have every other afternoon free. What's the deal with Wednesdays?

Well that's all of what's on my mind for the evening. I just want it to be the weekend so I can sleep.

Do many of your commitments happen on the same days? Or are they nicely spread out?

The Little Green Guy

It's nice to know that this bloated feeling will pass. You know, if I don't continue stuffing my face like a crazy. Or whatever. Geez, I get off track before I even start talking, don't I?

Did I say I received a tree from the race? Yes, yes I did.

This is a Douglas Fir. It is the official state tree of Oregon. I have no idea where to plant it. At first it was alright, sitting in a cool area in my house. However, I started to worry about the life of this tree. How long could it last not being in some soil?

I decided that this little guy needed to be planted, but where? I don't know any good places down here for my little tree to live, there's no place here that's special to me yet. On the other hand, this guy needed to be planted.

Now he's in a cup. In my windowsill. Did I mention that this is a Douglas Fir? Yeah, the stupidity of the situation is understood. It's almost like one of those movies where a person takes in an exotic animal and takes care of them. The situation is adorable until the creature becomes an adult lion/gorilla/bear/elephant/whatever. Except this is a freakin' tree. I cannot keep a tree that will "grow between 80-200 feet tall" in my apartment. My life does not need to become a family friendly film where a crazy woman decides to let a tree grow out of her apartment, letting it take over the whole place.

I can honestly say I did not expect this to become a post about a tree, but here we are. This is becoming a strange week indeed, and it's only Tuesday.

Where should I plant this tree?

So That Happened.

Yesterday, I became one of the 1%. The 1% of the population that has run a marathon.

Now I'm not going to go into some emotional essay about what the whole thing means, or any of that. Really, I'm not sure I feel the emotional storm brewin' like that. Hell, I thought I was going to cry at the end because of how crazy the whole thing was, but that didn't really go through my mind at that moment. So here we go, a recap of my first marathon.

The night of, I was already working on a delightful cold. My forehead was burning up, and was thinking, "Crap, should I even be running? Don't they say it's a bad idea to run with a fever? Oh god."
I started getting ready two times that night, thinking it was time to get up. No, it wasn't at 1:00 AM nor was it at 2:30 AM time to get ready. For some reason, I thought it was.

For the first few miles, things were great. I was feeling good, legs were good, all that jazz. By mile nine, that feeling was starting to go. Weirdly enough, the whole time my legs were fine. It was my stomach that was giving me issues.


This picture of joy is a lie... Sort of.

 For most of the race, I felt really nauseous. I think it was too much sugar the week before? I have no idea. All I know is that it was not a good feeling.

Other than that, things were pretty good. I continuously ran the whole time except for dashing to a bathroom and out. That's probably why at the end of the race, my legs suddenly went, "What the hell have you been doing?" and started aching like crazy. That plus the already upset stomach? Not a good combo. A lady in the bathroom next to me asked if I was okay because I was repeating "Ohgodohgodohgod" over and over again. That's not awkward at all.

Who cares about all of that? I ran a freakin' marathon! Plus, I happened to see some pretty crazy/wonderful/bizarre/cool things. Like:

Before the race seeing all of the people for one.

• Musicians playing everywhere, including a bus blasting the song "I'm Sexy and I Know It", great for getting pumped up
• Some awesome signs, like "Your legs are sore because you're kicking ass-phalt!" and others I can't remember now.
• Justin Bieber running. Well, it looked a lot like him just will a pre-puberty voice.
• People giving out the craziest snacks, including bananas, apples, oranges, skittles, pretzels, candy corn, and beer.
• A random hobo peeing by the side of the course. Told you there were some weird things, it's Portland.

There was a lot to see. It is a big city, after all. I managed to get one mid-running picture on the bridge. Cool thing was, only marathon participants were allowed on it. How exclusive.

The ending shoot was very cool, simply because there was so much stuff. There was a ton of food, but because I felt so sick I didn't want to eat. There was a lot of other stuff though that was super cool. For instance, the Portland marathon finishers get no only a shirt before the race, but they get a shirt afterwards that says " Portland Marathon Finisher" on it. We also received our medals, a medallion, a necklace charm, a rose, and a tree. Yes, a tree. Currently my Douglas Fir is sitting in my house, waiting to be planted. I have no idea where. The other part of the finish included getting a finisher's picture, which I've been waiting for impatiently to be put online.

It was nice that a lot of my family members came out to see me. This came in handy when tired legs wanted a break and had a piggyback ride available.


...Which then stretched out my inner thighs in a hurt so good kind of way. My cousin is a creeper.

 What wasn't so good about a lot of people was too many people freaking out about what to do when all I wanted to do was sit and warm up. Big groups can't decide things very well. What made me sad was that a lot of my friends really didn't seem to care, and it's just because it's an important thing to me. I've been talking about it, but many of my friends didn't even acknowledge it. Except Aaron, who ran it as well. Boy is a beast!

Oh, and I must not forget the swag. Most of my swag came from the race day, but I did get some things at the expo. Mostly magazines. I bought the mug, sticker, and bondiband myself.

Right now, I feel like I should be feeling a lot more special. That might sound weird, but it's a pretty big deal. However, it just feels like it's Monday. No biggie. I just wanted someone to comment on my shirt. (I wore my finisher shirt.)

Something no one ever told me about running a marathon? You get totally bloated afterwards. Or maybe that's just me. At least I don't think it's fat. My stomach feels too full of air for that. I think.

Will I ever do a marathon again? I hope so. What I'd like to do is a marathon for every decade of my life, starting with the teens. Now I've got ten years until I have to do one for my twenties. Perhaps the 50th anniversary? (This was the 40th anniversary)

For now, I just need to crash. I had to stay up late last night to finish homework, and because I was so tired I ended up sobbing about how tired I was when I got to bed. Yeah, I wish I were joking. I was sobbing because I wasn't going to get sleep, which kept me from falling asleep. We can be stupid when we're tired.

Really, all I can say is I can't believe I did that.

Lack of Time

I thought I was going to be able to write a long post tonight. That's not going to happen because I'm an idiot who should have come home a lot earlier than I did. Damn, on the freakin' night I actually need to get eight hours I can't. Yeah. We'll talk later. Bring snacks, we could be here for awhile. Tomorrow, at least.

Tomorrow.

It's happening. In less than 12 hours. Um... so yeah. I went to the expo today, and only got a few little blurry pictures.
How do I feel? Surprisingly calm, incredibly anxious, nervous... yeah. We'll just see what happens. For now... I can't think too much about it.

It's Coming...

I'm going to talk about running today. Okay? Alrighty.

My run in in less than 36 hours. There's the expo for the race tomorrow. For some reason, I'm less freaked out than I thought I would be. Anxious, but not really freaked. The only thing I'm really freaked out about is the fact that I can feel a cold coming on.

As for prep, I've been a bit distracted. My last run was on Thursday, and I'm supposed to walk two miles. I've followed the training as close as possible, making sure not to overdo it when I feel an injury coming on. Does that mean my race is going to go perfectly? I have no idea. No matter what training you do, on race day anything can happen. I've heard all of the stories, good and bad.

For now, I'm going continue to... let's call it "carboloading". I did happen to read something on my running calendar that said, "Before a race, you shouldn't eat a huge amount of carbs the night before. Eat a decent amount of carbs for a few days before instead so you don't have to stop for multiple bathroom breaks." So... yeah. "carboloading.". Pish.

Have any big plans for the weekend?

Sports to Play and Sports to Watch

There are two kinds of ways to like sports. There are the sports you like to play, and the sports you like to watch. There's also the sub category of sports you like to watch other people watching, but let's face it, that's only tennis.

The sports you like to watch and the sports you like to play can be very different, or the same. For me, they are very different indeed. The sports I like to play are tennis and running. Sure, there are times where I like to watch both of these, but they're not my favorite to watch. That would belong to football.

What is it about guys running into each other on a field that I enjoy? Beats me, but it's always been my favorite sport to watch. The rest of my family really likes to watch basketball, but I've never been a big fan. Guess I'm the odd one out.

Could you guess that there was a game tonight? Yeah, and it's still going on. Unfortunately, I've got an assignment to finish up... so no more game for me. Ah well. Tomorrow however, is going to be the start of a very exciting weekend! Woo!
(On a last note, I had my last run today. No more runs until... THE run. Crazy!)

What sport do you like to play, and what sport do you like to watch?

Visiting Clubs and Such

Tonight was the night of meetings for me, and tomorrow is the day of no classes. How lovely!

The first meeting of the night was the APO meeting. I think I said it before, but it's a co-ed fraternity based mainly on volunteer. I've decided that I'm going to pledge, and I went to the meeting tonight. The people seem really nice, and I'm hoping it's going to be fun.

The other meeting of the night was for the University Film Organization. I found this particular little group by going through a list of all of the organizations here on campus, and it caught my eye. I'm so glad it did.

One thing you may not know about UofO is that this is one of the few schools that has a Cinema Studies program in the west coast. It's still forming, but it's a pretty big deal that it actually exists. Needless to say, most of the people at the meeting were of the Cinema Studies major. Slightly intimidating, but what can you do.

For this particular club, I didn't know anyone involved. I simply emailed the organization, found out what time the meeting was, and went. I sat next to a guy who was a Cinema Studies major and hoping to be a screenwriter. My taste in television were complimented. That always brings my ego up. Anywho, soon the meeting began.

Then I found out what the University Film Organization does.

They make movies.

How cool is that? I got really excited, and the more details I heard, the more interesting it became. For instance, a trip might be happening up to the studio where they made the movie Coraline. If you've ever seen that movie, you know that the sets they made were incredible (Cherry blossoms made out of popcorn, and yet looks amazing? What?).

Even if you don't like claymation movies, you have to admit the sets were incredible.

So yeah. That's that. I'm hoping the stuff I've learned from Broadcast Media in high school can sort of help me, but they said that they can help us learn. Awesome.

Other than that, my only class for Thursday was cancelled. That means... working on a paper and EB due on Friday. Oh, homework. Still, a whole day? That's nice.

What's the last thing you went to without knowing anything about it? Was it good or bad?

Icky Weather and Odd Room Mate Habits

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks such a pace is ridiculous. Anywho, let's talk about today.

Good lord. There has been music playing really loudly for the past hour and a half. Is this for sorority? Those girls be crazy.

The rain has officially arrived here in Oregon. It's not like the sun didn't try to peak out from the clouds, it was successful for an hour or two. Alas, the sky has turned to grey and the rain has started to come down.

Rain can be nice, sure. That's why Oregon is so green, and can be quite a beautiful place. On the other hand, rain can usually be classified as mrr weather. Weather in which you don't want to do anything. You just want to snuggle in your covers and waste time.

Thankfully, I actually ended up getting a decent amount done. Almost caught up on all of my Journalism readings, printed out some things that needed to be printed, work done for tomorrow... and it's not even 8:30 yet! Man, I love that feeling.

Lastly, ever since I moved into this apartment the only place I spend my time in is my room. I have a couch in the living room, but never hang out in there. I moved the kitchen table into the kitchen, but I never eat there. I think it's mainly because it still smells weird around most of the apartment (excluding my room). Thankfully, it's slowly fading away. I think. I don't spend that much time out there. I'm hoping to move myself out there more often, because now my room is starting to give me the same feeling as a dorm... except bigger.

As for the room mates, they seem to be talking louder and louder. Lu is on edge all of the time, because whenever I pass by even with warning, she jumps. All she or Hao Chen ever says to me is "hi", "bye", or "thank you". And yes, I am trying to start up conversations. That's not working. And this is something that has happened a couple of times already:
I come home. I go to the kitchen, probably for some water or something. Lu scurries out of her room in her bathrobe (all she ever seems to wear if she doesn't have to go outside), and looks at Hao's door. I say "Hi", which she replies, "Oh, I thought it was him who was home", and then scurries back to her room to watch Friends.
She really likes Friends. I think Hao watches 24. They never turn on the lights in their rooms, I only see a bluish glow ever coming from their rooms. It's... a weird living situation.

I think that's enough rambling from me for tonight, time to either A)Work on more Homework or B)Waste time surfing the web. You know which one is probably going to happen.

How do you inspire yourself to get things done when all you want to do is be lazy because of the weather?

The Pace Makes the Runner?

What pace makes a runner different from a jogger? Apparently an eight minute mile pace does. Does that sound a bit ridiculous to you? Yeah, me too.

Today I received an email regarding the running club that I had signed up to get info about. I was excited, especially after all of the things I had heard about it. Pace didn't matter, a lot of people were there just to have fun. Within this email though, it said and I'm paraphrasing only slightly:
"We are a group of runners, not joggers. We would like to have those with an eight minute mile pace or less inquire only, because anyone slower will not have anyone to run with."

I definitely don't run an eight minute mile. Think a minute more, on a good day. I don't think of myself as a jogger, but according to this email, I am. So that's been on my mind for the day.

The chaos of school is finally starting to settle down it seems. I'm glad. Honestly, I've been up to a lot of stuff. (Strangely enough, it didn't feel like I was up to much today but I probably got a lot more done than usual.)

Let's start off with cooking. I'm working from being a lousy cook to slowly becoming a mediocre cook. Sure, I probably didn't cook my chicken right last week but at least it's been edible. I also made a frittata.

Seemed scary, but surprisingly simple. My spinach did wilt a little too much though. Ah well.

The next thing I've been up to is getting information about groups. You saw how well the running club thing went, but I'm also getting info about something I didn't think I'd ever try ever: Triathlon.
I know. I bitch and moan about biking, and I'm slower than drying paint. Still, I've been getting some encouragement to try it, and talking to one of the guys in the club made it seem like I could learn. He was just a runner himself at first, and he admitted he was still bad at it. Confidence booster? Perhaps.

Lastly is organization. I've finally got a single notebook for each subject. Sad, huh? My notes have been organized, my planner is looking especially plan-y, and my homework list is up. Basically, I'm finally getting my junk all together. I like that feeling.

Geez, I'm starting to sound more and more diary-like each day. We'll work on that. For now, I've got to make sure I actually know the information I need to for a quiz tomorrow.

Do you think speed makes the runner a runner? Why or why not?

October

It's October. Geez.

I'm actually quite happy that it's October, because I love this month. And this year, this month is even better because

1. It's my birthday on the 22nd! Woo!
2. In one week, I run a marathon.
3. It's Halloween!

Man, I wrote a lot before this, but my computer bugger out. Oh well. Anywho, back to the list.

Alright, most of those things happen every year, but I'm just really excited this year. Actually, I'm really excited about Halloween. The only problem is I have no idea what I'm going to be.

You see, I'm one of those people who think about what they want to be for Halloween all year. Unfortunately, I can never think of what to be all year. There are a lot of costume ideas out there yes, but I want to be original. And cute. Not an easy combo.

One of my favorite costume I've ever been was a headless person. Despite the cardboard digging into my shoulders, it was AWESOME. It was also in middle school. Not a cute one, but cool.

Like this, but less gruesome.

So, I'm hoping to come up with a creative, but cute costume. It's still a month away, but... time flies.

Do you have any idea what you're going to be for Halloween yet?

Life as a Duck: Fashion

Before I say anything else, I want to say something about what I said yesterday. My sister informed me that I sounded a bit harsh when talking about the sorority thing yesterday, and I did not intend to sound harsh. All I was saying was that sorority just costs so much for a group. I mean, I remember my sister paying at least $300 just to be initiated. It's just a bit much for me, I didn't mean to offend if I did. That's just been bothering me today, so I'm glad I got that out.

I've been trying to figure out a type of "Life at U of O" type of thing, but I'm not really sure what to call it. I don't think I'll do it on Saturdays either, but this is just an experiment. Let's start this one off by talking about Fashion!

Like any college campus, I've seen plenty of the sweatpants and shirt combo. However, at the same time I've been seeing a lot of fantastic clothes and fashion while over here. Here's just a sampling of styles that I've seen quite a bit of.

TOMS. Oh goodness. TOMS are everywhere around here, in every color you can think of. (Actually, mainly red for some reason.) TOMS are a neat shoe, but they're not the coolest thing around. Truth be told, they're kind of the new Ugg. As in, everyone has a pair.

Scarves. Scarves are a great accessory, and they can add a lot to an outfit. I need to work on this one, because I'm usually wearing a scarf just for cold. However, scarves are great and very popular around here.

Fitted jeans with a nice shirt. This is a look that I never really go for, but is very big over here. Honestly, it's a nice look. Simple, but put together.

Bold colored small purses. I have been seeing a lot of really cute small purses, and in every color. It's making me really want a cool, cute little bag for myself!

I know that there are a lot of other great looks from around campus, but for now I have to sign off. I'll work on this more later I suppose.

What type of styles are you digging?