Random Thoughts and Goals for December

Before we get started, I'm just gonna toss out a few things on my mind.

• I'm getting an allergy test tomorrow, to see if it's true that I can't have shrimp. I hope it's not. I love shrimp, I don't want it to hurt me.
• For the last two days, I've had the lyrics "An elephant never forgets, so my dick remembers everything" stuck in my head. Yeah. I like the song "Freaks and Geeks" by Childish Gambino, although all I can think is, "Silly Troy, why are you rapping?"
• I got accepted to be a member of APO! Yah! I did all of the stuff, so it was kind of expected but still. Huzzah!
• Why is it that I can't bake small things? I always burn the bottoms. I never have this problem with loaves. Sure, the rest of it is fine but burnt bottoms are never fun. I ended up scraping off the bottoms of some Chocolate chip scones so they're acceptable to give away.
• It's my mother's birthday! Happy birthday mom, love ya! Thanks for raising me to be mostly normal.
• This week has been Dead Week, and it's actually been surprisingly dead for me. I have a paper to edit for Friday but other than that... classes have been reviewing stuff. I know that a lot of the people are doing projects this week, but I also think that they have less to do during finals week. I do have three finals...

Are we good? We're good. Anywho, what I wanted to talk about today are goals. I see bloggers always posting their goals, and it seems like a good way to stay on track. They say that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Or is it 28? Whatever. All I'm saying is that it's time I make monthly goals.
I'll admit, I actually did have a goal for November, and I stuck to it pretty well. It was:

• Eat 2 servings of fruits and 2.5 servings of veggies
• Only one serving of cooked veggies a day
• Only one dried fruit for a fruit serving per day

Other than Thanksgiving where everyone has plates of tan and white, I did quite well on this! I ate salad, and I even got back into grapes! I used to not like grapes because I'd always grab the bunch with the gross squishy ones. It tainted my memory of grapes.

Now that we're starting December (!) it's time to work on a new goal. I actually have two things to work on this month. First, is to track my computer time and cut way back. I've talked about my obsession with the computer, and it's horrendous. The thing is, I never actually see how much time I spend on it. I think if I track computer use, it'll make me want to spend less time on it because of all of the shame I will feel.

My other goal is to not spend money on soda or gum. Now, this is kind of cheap since I'm going to probably spend a good chunk of time at my parents' house (which is always stocked with some sort of diet soda). However, I'll push this through January as well. Gum and soda? I should not waste money on you. Even if you are delicious. The biggest problem I have with this though is that I like having some sort of flavor in my mouth at all times. Yeah, that sounds dirty. Due to this, I tend to munch more when I don't have something occupying my taste buds with zero calories. Guh.

I think it'll be good just to have two goals per month, because it's easier to work your way up. At least that's what I'm hoping will happen.

I don't want to go to classes anymore. I want it to be winter break now. Can we arrange that, with me still getting good grades in my classes? No? Boo.

Do you have any goals for December?

Wish Lists are Boring

I'm procrastinating getting in the shower. What is going on? I used to love showers. I suppose that's what happens when you have to fight against the clock for a warm shower. Goodness.

As we are getting closer and closer to the holiday season, it's around this time that we start asking the people around us, "What do you want for Christmas/Hanukkah/WhateverDecemberholidayyoucelebratethatyouhavetoshopfor?" Let's face it, you're getting/giving gifts in December no matter what you celebrate. It's just how the world works now.

The thing is, there are phases of gift-receiving that we all go through. The biggest and main one comes when we're kids. When we're kids, we want EVERYTHING. Our lists are a mile long, or really expensive. Either way, the more gifts mean the more exciting your morning is going to be. Then there's the phase that I'm currently in. It's called, "I don't really want any gifts, because I would rather have money so I'm not broke." This phase isn't fun for anyone. This phase may also mix with the "practical gift phase", because at this point that's what we need. Toys are a waste of money and space. We adults do not need trinkets, they are useless. (I keep on wanting to call myself a teenager lately. Good lord, I'm twenty. How did that happen?)

I admit, there's nothing I really need but that's not the main reason I've said, "I don't need anything for Christmas just money." The biggest reason I've been asking for money is because of the (hopefully) studying abroad. The last few days all I've done is apply for scholarships and jobs, but I like easy gift money.
On the other hand, I've been thinking about gifts lately. I realized that yes, there are a few things that I actually would like. I'm only reluctant to ask, because I'd rather have cash. Eh. Yes, I know that wish lists make for obnoxious posts, but I'm going to do it anyways. Anywho, I present to you my Christmas Wish List.

Source

1. Microsoft Office
Did I say fun gifts? Because I meant gifts that I need. Yes, my computer doesn't have Microsoft Word. It's got some default program that comes on the computer. Did you know that Microsoft Office doesn't come with all computers? I certainly did not when I got my computer as a graduation gift. I've been able to handle documents just fine without it, but it's annoying, and files don't send right. I just would like to be with modern times.

Source

2. Cellphone GPS holder
Don't worry, I have some fun holiday wishes but in reality I want this. I get lost all of the time, so I use the GPS on my phone. It's useful, but I have to look at the phone in my lap for directions. Not so useful. I saw that my aunt has one of these, and they seem really awesome.

3. Community Season 1
For all of my Community praise, I have to admit I haven't seen all of the first season. This was at a time when I didn't know what a Hulu was (Now my terrible addiction), so I always missed it when it was on. I only started watching it online when I saw the 1st paintball episode.Usually, I'm a watch an episode only once type of girl and then I'm done, but Community is one of those shows where I can watch certain ones a few times. Like the zombie Halloween episode. Arrested Development falls into this category as well.

4.Itunes
Itunes are boring. But I want music. Mainly The Lonely Island. Apparently all I listen to is fake rap.

That's my list. Like I said, older kids? Boring lists. I've always sucked to shop for, in case you're wondering.

What's on your Holiday Wish List?

The Power of a Petition

Shit's going down here at the U of O.

Y'see, drama started right before Thanksgiving break when the current president of the school received word that his contract was not reinstated for the upcoming year. This has caused an uproar from many of the faculty and students at the school because many of them think that he is doing a good job. Apparently, the problem comes from his ideas about changing the school from being funded by the state to funding itself after taking out a big loan. His ideas might also change the school to be similar to a private school in a way. The whole thing is that the state (or the people in charge) don't like this idea, so they think it's time he left. Overall, I don't really know a lot about it. What I've learned about the situation is what I've talked to others about or have been told about. All I know is that people are not happy, and they're letting the world hear them.

For instance, quite a few people have donned the picture of "the hat" as their profile picture. "The hat" is apparently a symbol of the president because he wears a certain hat all of the time. Other ways that people are participating are by making petitions.

Here's the thing. I love the effort that people make for something they really care about. I'm all for it. However, I don't think that petitions work. No matter how much love is put behind something, when the top dogs have made a decision, they've made a decision.

There's an alternative reason that I've brought this up, and it has to do with one of my favorite television shows: Community.
If you're a fan of Community, you've heard about the fact that it's not on the mid-season list of shows. Meaning it's probably going to be cancelled. Now, Community fans are a bit eccentric, but they love their show. One of the things that sucks about the whole thing is that a lot of Community's fanbase resides online. I can't watch Community when it's on air, I can only watch it on Hulu. I think this is how it is for a lot of the fans.
Due to the fact that the Internet includes a huge Community fan base, there are a ton of protests/petitions/etc for Community online. ...Can you see where I'm going with this?

I love Community, but I'm not so sure on how well the petitions are actually going to work. Not like I don't have hope (I'm very very very hopeful), but for every "Betty White to Host SNL!" petitions, there are a hundred other petitions with arguments from hopeful fans.

Still, I did sign the online Save Community petition. Because I still hope that it's not done for good.

#Sixseasonsandamovie.

Do you believe in the power of a petition? Or do you think it's unrealistic?

Stepping into the New Frontier of the Internet

Fun fact about me: I am terrible at making up usernames. It's not just that, but I'll try to think of a username for something for hours. Sometimes I'll just stare at the screen, thinking about it. How depressing.

So I got a Twitter. Yup. I have no idea why I should even need a twitter, because in my book Twitter is for:

1. Famous people or
2. Extremely witty people (Comedians usually)

I'm not sure I can classify myself in either one of those categories. I'll try to fake it in the latter category. Now, I do have reasons why I actually thought getting a Twitter might be a good thing. First of all, everything is talking about how "it's a good way to network yourself". Do I know for what yet? No. Who knows what it could help me with in the future with though. Another reason has to do with Jimmy Fallon in a broad sense. Y'see, lately I've been watching clips from his show, and one of the segments he has is called "Hashtags". This is created by input from Twitter users, and for some of the subjects I've thought, "Hey, I have a good experience I could send in," then realizing that I do not have what is required to participate. This actually works for a lot of things, because a lot of TV shows and such that I'm a fan of only promote things through Twitter. In my sad little brain, this makes me think that the shows don't think I'm as big of a fan. I have the dumbest logic ever, but you see where this is going. Last reason? Lots of bloggers seem to have them and it seems like blog-y things travel through the Twitter-verse.

Anywho, now you can find me trying to be smarter than I actually am in a different area of the Internet, @HannahHasAFact. Ridiculous username? Perhaps. It's sort of based off of the same idea that this blog is titled after, because in almost every conversation I have I have to throw in some random fact like a pretentious jackass. Good lord, that was a run on sentence. I felt a touch of relief when I saw that you could change it in the future if desired.

Did I just write a whole blog post on justifying why I created a Twitter? I think I did. There is something wrong with me. Then again, I usually end up joining in on the trend as soon as it starts fading. I'm like when parents start joining the Facebook, and it's not cool anymore. Eh.
If you just got a rando-person following you, now you know why.

So, to all of those in Twitter-land: Any good people to follow I should know about?

Grandma Max Syndrome

I've got a problem that seems to have been passed through a few generations. It's something I lovingly call  Grandma Max Syndrome. This syndrome is what happens whenever one of the people who has it gets injured. They'll get injured somehow, and not really make a big deal about it. Or, what that actually means is not even acknowledge it. When my grandma was having a stroke, she exclaimed, "I'm fine!" while at the same time half of her face was drooping. When my mother fell out of the attic, and I was screaming about needing to take her to the hospital, she simply said, "It's okay, let me just lay here for a second." No.

Grandma Max Syndrome is pretty common for a lot of runners too, not wanting to admit we're injured. Thankfully, this is not where Grandma Max Syndrome has hit me. On Thanksgiving day when taking the delicious brie out of the oven, the pan hit my arm.
"Did you burn yourself?", my cousins asked.
"Don't worry about it," as I backed away slowly. Sure, I put my arm under cold water, but soon I was over by the brie, indulging.

What I didn't mention to anyone afterwards was that my arm was still stinging a couple hours later. Sure I'm telling y'all but I don't really mention when I get hurt in the moment. Eh. I only mentioned it after it was noticed, and someone asked, "What happened to your arm?" Today it started blistering. I've never gotten a burn this bad.



Little, but still icky.

 Sometimes you're an idiot you do crazy things for what you love. Meaning cheese baked in crescent rolls.

Other than burnt arms, I got to see one of my best friends from high school today! Due to the fact that they've been remodeling the high school, we decided to go take a look at it. Funny thing was, while we were there, one of the teachers drove up and let us explore inside! Don't you love crazy happenings like that?

Have you ever been injured and just not acknowledge it?

Thanksgiving Recap

Alright, first of all I have no idea how some of y'all were able to post yesterday. Seriously, I had no time at all! Anywho...

Before I get into an actual recap, I suppose it would be best if I threw in my things to be thankful for. I was planning to do two posts today, but... no. That's not gonna happen. Well, what am I thankful for? The obvious things like family, running, education, and basically the ability availability I have to do so many different things.

Now, onto the Thanksgiving recap! Honestly, not sure how much I have to say about Thanksgiving, but let's just see what we can do. There has been one year where I only ate until I was content. This was not the year.

Before any of the feasting occurred, it was time to participate in the Treadmill in the Basement Turkey Trot. Part of the requirements was making a race bib. I felt a tad ridiculous wearing a race bib while not in a race, but you gotta do what you gotta do. As for the bib my biggest concern of the day was about even getting my run in. So having a proper bib? Not much on my mind. That means I had this attached to my jacket:

Yes, a bit sad. We make due.

My contribution to the Turkey Trot? 10 miles. I decided to do my long run that morning instead, which if we're being honest was just because of the upcoming eats that were happening.

After the run, obviously food cooking was in full swing, and appetizers were on. All you need to know about that is that's the point where I eat pretty much all I really want to eat for the day: Brie cheese. Wrapped in a crescent roll.  Honestly, that's all you need to know.

The rest of day included the obvious dinner, Apples to Apples, and also included the Annual Turkey Bowl. The Turkey Bowl is basically all of the family members heading off to the high school and playing a "game of football". I say it like that because it's really just throwing the ball around to each person, trying to have them run. Mostly the little kids. For the older gals (including me), that meant goofing off and recording videos at the edge of the field.

Later, there were card games and talking. There were other things too I think. I'm not sure I remember just everything that happened, but all I know is that the cousins? We all stayed up until 3:00 in the morning. Oh god. This does not work for someone who wakes up automatically at 9:00 AM.

Right now, I'm exhausted but I'm watching the newest episode of The Soup. Homework time starts tomorrow. I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving!

What did you do for your Thanksgiving?

The Night Before Thanksgiving

Welp, it's the night before Thanksgiving. That means it's family time. Meaning... blogging will be quick, also due to the fact that I need to go to bed early. Running in the morning has to occur, and it's already past the time that I'll get eight hours of sleep. So yeah.

On the ride up, I had a long discussion with my dad about finances. Economics seems to have given me more to talk about to my dad. I guess that helps when he's an accountant.
All I know? The world of money is confusing.

This is really all that I have time to say. We'll see how turkey day commences, okay?

What are you excited about for Thanksgiving?

The Four Types of Classes That You Will Take in School

Now that I've been in school for more than 13 years of my life, I think it's pretty safe to say I know the basics of what classes are like. With this, there are always certain types of classes that you are going to end up with, no matter what. I'm not talking about math or reading though. This isn't based on what the classes are about necessarily, but how they affect a person. Seeing as I love Cracked, and the "5 types of blank" videos that College Humor has, I'm here to present you with:

The Four Types of Classes That You Will Take in School

4. The Class You Knew You Were Going To Hate Before You Took It... Then Realized That You Indeed Hated It
You knew you had to take that class. You just didn't want to. Whether the feeling against the class is because it's hard or boring, all that matters is that you are taking it and you don't want to take it. Well the first day rolls along, and it's time to start. You look around the room and see what seems to be a cool mix of people. Perhaps the professor has done something to the setup to make it more exciting. Maybe the professor just seems like a neat person. The class begins and...
It's boring/hard/awful/whatever you want to use to describe it sucky. This class is going to make this term drag on forever, isn't it? You don't even want to get started on the next class coming up:

3.The Class You Knew You Were Going To Hate Before You Took It... But Became One Of Your Most Intriguing Classes
Ugh. Not this class. You don't even like this subject. Why the hell are you taking it? Oh  right, major requirement. Dangit. At least you're getting it done with now, so you won't have to deal with this junk ever again. Unless you fail. Oh god, there is no way you'll be able to take this class twice, let alone the fact you haven't taken it once. Grumbling on your way to your seat, you look around and see all of the other people scowling about this class, also as a major requirement. Then class starts. As the class goes on, your polite interest transforms into an actual interest in what the professor is talking about. Wow, this is fascinating! What useful information! This class actually might be hard, but you actually care about what's being talked about. Isn't that what school is about? Now it's time to go onto your next class, which you are pumped for because it's:

2. The Class You Were Excited About... Then Grew To Despise.
When signing up for this class, you were hyped even by the name of the class. You've never known much about this subject before, and now you're going to learn everything you want to learn and more! Who wouldn't want to sign up for this class. Now you're sitting in your seat right before the class is about to start. Man, even the professor seems cool! Then the lecture starts...
...and you can't believe it. You already know all of this stuff. This is so stupid. Didn't you learn about this in grade school? Geez, and you've got ten more weeks of this junk. It could also be that the cool class turned out to be really freakin' hard. You were not prepared for this. You took this because it sounded the easiest out of the required classes, not for a challenge.
Finally we have:

1. The Class You Were Excited About... That Turned Out To Be Awesome.
This is a class to treasure. This is the class that you're going to be talking about forever, or at least like an annoying know-it-all about for the few weeks after. Awesome classes are sometimes the classes you take specifically for your major, but sometimes they're just a class you signed up for because it caught your eye on the course catalogue. Boy, weren't you a smartie to actually look through the course catalogue. This class might not even be an easy class. You might end up doing a lot of work for it, but do you care? No. You're so enveloped in the information, studying for this class is fun (if not sometimes stressful). Now if only every class was like this one.

Well that was fun! Goodness, I do enjoy lists. And if you want to read lists about ways your cellphone is screwing with your body and mind, or the basic things you won't believe you're all doing wrong, I suggest reading cracked. Seriously, it's addicting.

Currently I have one of each type of class: Writing 121 is a class I knew I wouldn't like, and it turns out I don't still. The reason? It should be an easy A, but it's not. The professor doesn't like the way I write. She's actually said that I'm a good writer, but... Ugh. Plus, I've already taken this junk.
Economics is #3 strangely enough. Truth be told, I'm probably going to get my lowest grade of the term in this class. However, the information is useful. I'm actually using what I learn. Despite not doing that great on quizzes, I actually understand the information. Ain't that a weird predicament! (I'm a good writer? Ha, oh dear...)
#2 is Exercise as Medicine. Going into the class, I was excited to learn about just what the title suggests, exercise as medicine. Unfortunately, it's boring and I don't care about what I'm learning. Well, I suppose I do care because it's good to know the 4 chambers of the heart and such. Oh the other hand, meh.
#1 is Journalism 201. Sorta. It's true that I enjoy this class, and that I'm doing well in this class. I'm also connecting things in my day to day life with this class. On the other hand, there's a class which I still consider my number one #1, and that was History of Fashion that I took last spring. I loved that class, and I still think about things I learned from that class today. I still want an Ionic Chiton from the Greek period. Currently, it's still my most enjoyed class that I have taken to date.

Wooh, that was a wordy post! Other than that, I've just been waiting on getting the last of my forms in for the study abroad application, typed up the last homework before Thanksgiving break, and now... typing this up. I've done a lot of typing today. I wish I had a typewriter. Maybe I could buy one someday... after I save up enough for study abroad. Then a camera if I earn enough money before I leave. Why must everything cost money? I'm going off on different tangents, meaning I should sign off for the night before I think of something else random to say.

What were your classes #4,#3,#2, and #1? Would you add anything else to the type of classes you take in school?

An Unexpected Trip Back

Here I am, officially home for the holidays!

Ha, well actually I'm not quite done yet. Still, I am currently sitting back in my bed at my parent's house (still my house, I'd like to say) typing this up. Then I'm going back down to school tomorrow morning... only to be back up here Wednesday. What is this madness? Let me explain.

In part of my "getting things together for study abroad" ventures, I needed to get a letter of recommendation from one of my professors at Western. Now, I like asking people for things in person much better than email so I decided that it would be a good idea to drive up to Western, the first time since I'd finished this summer. Her only office hours that I could go to were today. Besides, I was hoping I would be able to run into some friends while on my impromptu visit.
Good thing I did too, because I was able to get a transcript (also needed for the application) while I was over there. The transcript system online? Not good. Another example of liking to do things in person rather than online.

It's funny- even though I've missed WOU, I hadn't missed it as much until I stopped by again. A wave of memories flooded back into my mind, and I saw fun little things that I missed about it. One example was the giant versions of things project that the art students do. They make giant versions of whatever, and the projects decorate the lawn. My favorite that I saw this time was a giant electrical plug!

One of the craziest things I noticed? So many things are different! Alright, not so many things, but mainly the WUC! There's a whole other attachment added to it, and it feels weird!

Before I left, I was able to see one of my friends that goes there. She's as adorable as ever, which may sound weird since she towers over me. But she's just so innocent! Apparently everyone is really busy this year, including her many hours spent in the studio. I guess that makes sense, since most of the people I know over at WOU are upperclassmen. Then again, I've had a kind of busy term. What's the deal with this year? Eh.

By the time I was able to get my recommendation, it was already dark and pouring. Blergh. Not something I really wanted to drive 1.5 hours in. So I decided to just head back to my hometown and stay for the night. It works out nicely due to the fact that my earliest class is at noon tomorrow. Yes...
The only downside? I'm totally going to be pulling a "wear the clothes from the night before look", which sends out a good message.
I wish I had brought running clothes. My parents have a new treadmill, and it would be really nice to do my run indoors for once. Oh well.

I keep on having other ideas about what to write about, but instead lately I've been just talking about what's going on in my life... What a concept, a blog talking about what's going on in said blogger's life! Yeah, I don't know what I'm saying half of the time either.

Definitely feels like I'm on vacation... but still should go to bed before midnight, so I can wake up at nine. Yup.

Where was the last "place of your past" that you visited? How had things changed? Stayed the same?

Thinking About Traveling

Ah... as soon as I slow down, it's the end of the weekend! What is this?

I may have briefly said that I've made a big decision, and that's true. I have, but I have to make sure that it all works out. You see, I've found a study abroad program and I'm applying for it. As in, already started the application, trying to get references, typing up essays way of applying for it. I have less than two weeks to get all of that information together. What on earth was I thinking?

Well, all of last week was freaking out about if my schedule would allow me to even study abroad like I planned. Once I calmed the eff down, I was able to figure out that yeah, this could work.

The other thing I realized is that I need to actually do something, not just talk about it. I mean, I've been talking about it forever, and I've been looking at programs since I started college. I've gone to every type of event that talks about study abroad, and I've researched the programs. I've learned pretty much all that I can about it, so it's time to actually take the next step. The sooner I get an application done, the sooner I can apply for scholarships. And yes, I'm going to need scholarships. Hoo boy.

Now all I need is to finish the application, and wait. The other part that comes with this is looking for a job. Adding up all of the money that I have plus financial aid, I still need to earn about $6,000. That's a lot. That's why I need to earn some money.

Other than that, I've been rushing from place to place since Thursday, so it was nice to actually calm down and stay at my house for a bit. I'm not the type that likes to be go go go all of the time, it wears me out! Besides, I'm going to have another go go go day tomorrow. Thank goodness it's almost Thanksgiving break!

What was the last big decision you made? Did you think about it for a long time, or did you instantly jump on board?

Game Day

It's another installment of Life as a Duck, because today was a special day. Today was Game Day.

At the U of O, it's pretty hard to get student tickets because they sell out very quickly. However this week? This week I had a ticket. I was ready to go to my first Duck game. Aw yeah.

Game day on colleges are usually all very similar, if you go to a school that's pretty big. People will be walking everywhere across town hours before the game, and plenty of these people aren't even students. Isn't this what always happens? Anywho, so traffic of course is not something you want to deal with. Students walking everywhere, and crazy fans in cars? It's madness out there, and half the time people are getting drunk to go watch the game at a house anyways.

Getting to the arena, and right before the game is the actual most exciting part. People are walking in droves, everyone is excited... It helps that our team is good. The energy that flows through the whole stadium is addicting.

As for the noise? Well, recently I read that U of O stadium is the second loudest college football stadium in the country. They were only beat by a school that caused a mini quake because of their noise. If you ever somehow end up watching a game with UofO, just listen. You can hear them.

Lately, our team has been very good, and it's almost expect that we're going to win. Tonight's game though... oof. Sure, it was close near the end, but we did not play well. So many dropped balls... Oye.

I apologize if I seem a tad incoherent, it's just I'm very tired. Truth be told, as soon as I got back into my apartment tonight, I knew I wasn't going anywhere. Don't worry, I was glad. I'm surprised I'm not asleep now... which is what I'll probably go do now. Goodnight.

Are you a big football fan?

A Hectic Sort of Week

It's been one of those crazy days, you know? Anywho, here's what's up with life for a quick update, or just random thoughts:

It's amazing how much family members can effect you, mainly siblings. I've been able to convince my sister to read cracked, and now she's addicted to that and reads some blogs. As for her effect on me, most of the music I listen to is because of her.

I've realized that I spend far too much time on the computer. Not a new development, but lately it has caused some problems. (Don't worry, I'm doing all of my schoolwork.) I'm deciding to try and wean myself off of using my computer so much, possibly not using my laptop and instead use the library computer until schoolwork is done. This isn't the reason for not posting yesterday, I just didn't have time. We'll see.

Most of this week was consumed by stress of classes and registration. One night after finding out certain classes wouldn't work in the schedule the way that I wanted them to... I had a mini breakdown. It happens. However, after I let everything out, I actually got down to thinking, and realized I was perfectly fine in the way of school scheduling. It's good to clear your mind with a good pouring out of emotions because then you can actually think coherently afterwards.

My croissants were indeed a hit. That's always a good thing.

I'm making a big decision. More on that later.

I'd really like tomorrow to be a relaxing day after the last few days I've had, but that's not going to happen. What can you do? Especially since I have to cram a 9 mile run somewhere in there... Oof. That's why I have to go to bed now. So night to all, and hopefully there will be more detailed posts from me in the near future.

What type of week was it for you? Any exciting weekend plans?

Imitating the Foodie Bloggers

Sometimes, I wish I was a foodie blogger.

Or had any theme, really. Other than college kid writing? I dunno. Still, foodie blogger is the type of blogger I wish I could be the most. Food bloggers seem to have all of the fun, and they make the tastiest looking things. For instance, Mimi over at Gingersnaps just wrote about the FoodBuzz Fest, and everything sounded amazing.

But here's the thing: I am not very good at cooking. As I've mentioned multiple times. However, I'd like to think of myself as an okay baker. I'm slowly learning the art of this baking thing, don't worry about it. I've been baking bread out of what I'm calling my Bread Bible since I bought it this summer, and yesterday I thought I would make something out of it for the pledge potluck happening tomorrow.

Which leads me to point two of why I'm not in the position of being able to be a food blogger... My food isn't pretty. The best quality that all of my food baked goods has that it smells amazing. (If I do say so myself, hur hur hur.) When I baked pumpkin bread on Halloween, I received complaints about the bread smelling good. Trust me, it was a good thing in said situation. For the last two days, I've smelt like butter. You'd be surprised, but it's fantastic. I just kept smelling myself.

So what did I make today? See for yourself...

Croissants! Yes, I realize they are not super pretty but hell I'm going to take them as my dish tomorrow. That's another thing that makes me nervous about my baking- no one has ever really eaten my baking before. Sure, they've had my cookies, but no one else has partaken in the consumption of my bread. My dad never ate any, even though I would offer it. Then again, when I made him granola for Christmas last year because he likes food to munch on, he didn't eat any of it. I don't know.

I'll admit, the croissants are a little... toasted on the bottom. I didn't even keep them in the over for as long as the recipe said, it was a lot less time. I freakin' watched them. However, I taste tested one and... OH MY GOODNESS. This is why rolling three sticks of butter into flour is a good thing. (True story.)

So I'll take my little batch of french baked goods...

...And serve them to people. Wish me luck!

In case you were wondering, my phone camera still hasn't been working. That means all of these pictures were taken with my web cam. Yet another reason why I could not be a foodie blogger.

Oh, and the Cascade Half is in January. Plenty of time for training, so I'll try a little experimenting with the running.

Are you nervous about cooking for others? What are you the best at cooking/baking? Truth be told, my specialty is chocolate chip cookie dough. The trick is adding two eggs, doubling your chance of salmonella if consuming raw. And it tastes way better raw.

Here We Go Again

Wow, it's been over a month since my big race, hasn't it? And I said I would stop talking about it. Alas, here we are.

Indeed, I've been back to running for awhile, but it's been very relaxed. It's like I wish I had something to motivate me to train...

Oh wait. I do.

Yes, I'm going to be running the Cascade Half Marathon again, hooray! I always like being signed up for races. There's just something about them that helps with the motivation. Especially since I forgot what it's like to run when it's cold out.

I know, running my next half on the first ever half marathon course I ever did again? How boring. Still, I'm a little sentimental. I mean, it was my first ever half marathon! Plus the course is completely flat which is really nice. (A good way to block out the fact that it was pouring the entire time last year.)

Those are not the only reasons I'm running this race again though. There's actually a bigger reason, which is... My sister is running it! Yeah!
I know you might not want me talking about this on the blog Chloe, but it deserves to be said. Besides, it's a good thing.

This will be her first half marathon, which is so cool! Then again, she's already run that distance in her life before, so she'll kill it.

On other running related news, I'm quite excited to have been invited to the 2nd Annual Treadmill in the Basement Turkey Trot by Kat. I don't think I'll be running a half marathon, but I think a ten miler may be in the cards for the 24th of November. Five at the lowest.

The only thing I can really think about right now is how on earth did it already get to be almost 9:00PM? We are not amused. (Who is this we?)

I think any day that I go for a run is a productive one in some sense. It might have seemed like the day disappeared, but I did do something, right? We're going to say yes even though it doesn't feel like it. Buh.

Do you have any fun races coming up?

Flippin' Schedules

It's that special time of year again!

Source
No, not this time of year.

It's time to register for classes. Oh yes.

One of the things that I despise am getting used to while attending the U of O is the whole system of class scheduling, and advising appointments. At WOU, it was very easy to have everything figured out for your classes. They would post signs in the walkways, indicating that signing up for classes was coming very soon. They would send you an email to remind you. You only had one advisor, and that advisor helped you with all of your class scheduling questions. That? That does not happen here.

Trying to be the responsible student, I made sure to set up an advising appointment, with the person said to be my advisor. Being on the ball, I thought to myself. However apparently, your advisor does not help with your schedule. Your advisor helps with internships and such. That meant having a drop in appointment but thankfully, they were able to see me today.
With all of this stuff you have to do yourself, it's amazing to me just because my room mate last year couldn't even figure out all of the advising stuff despite the large amounts of help she received.

Have you ever had something organized just the way you like, just to realize that one thing has to change, changing your whole set up in the process? I have, and when you're unstable due to not enough sleep the night before, it's not a good thing. Especially if it makes sometime you really want to do in the future seem even more difficult than it was before. I may have gotten testy with the advisor after learning about certain classes being offered at certain dates, and how it would affect my plans. Then again, she was kind of rude. She cut me off a lot, which personally I don't think is very nice even if you think you know what the other person is going to say.

Apparently the advising situation isn't great for a lot of people, as I've been informed. I suppose that's just what you have to deal with in a big university.

I register for classes on Friday, so I decided to organize my (hopeful) schedule for the next term. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with organizing my class schedule because I love to organize my time, but sometimes things don't fit the way I want them to. Eh, what can you do.

On an unrelated note, this month is NaNoWriMo! The other name for it is National Novel Writing Month, and I always forget it. The whole idea is that you are to write a novel that is 50,000 words by the end of the month. I always think that it would be cool to participate in, but by the time the month begins I realize that I don't have any ideas for things to write about. Then again, I'm not sure if I've ever had an idea for a novel. Comics sure, but a novel? Not really. Still, it's a very cool idea.

When did I start enjoying November so much? I've actually been really liking this month. Plus, it's already half over (almost) meaning that Thanksgiving is very soon! Hoorah!

I can't believe how late it is already. Goodness. It's bedtime for me.

Do you like planning your schedule ahead of time, or a you a more "go with the flow" type? Me: Very big on planning ahead. My high school friends: Extremely go with the flow. Opposites attract?

The Fellowship Retreat

Hello world! Did you miss me?

This weekend, I went out on what was called a fellowship retreat down to "camp out" in some yurts. The whole thing was from APO, and about 20 or so people went. It certainly was an interesting experience.

The reason for the quotes around "camp out" is because... Well, have you ever heard of a yurt? Real yurts are pretty extreme, and Nordic tribes live in them. These yurts were definitely not that type. There were beds, a TV, bathroom, and heating. It was pretty much like being in a cabin made out of tarp and word. Not that I mind though, seeing as I'm a very non-camper type. Why did I agree to go camping then? Oh yes, to get to know people.

We left in different cars during the day on Friday, and since I had class till late, I went with the 6:00pm group. We ended up getting to the campsite around 9:00, and we were all starving. Well, I know at least I was, seeing as I usually eat like the senior citizens a little after 5:00pm. Yes, I know it's ridiculous.

What did we do, you ask? We had a scavenger hunt. We did team building exercises. We toured Reedsport, a small town that really doesn't have anything going on. We watched movies. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it was quite eventful. This might sound bizarre, but I managed to slam my fist into my hand so hard for a rock paper scissors tournament that I might have bruised it. It was a very intense tournament.

I went on the retreat to get to know people, a reason for many of the things I've been doing lately. Did I get to know people? I suppose. I did learn about some very interesting people that I didn't really know much about before. The people I rode down with were very interesting. One of the girls was very funny, and I was surprised I hadn't gotten to know her before. Another person had the impressive goal of studying abroad in three different countries next year- plus she's poly-lingual. Geez.

Still, I'm not sure if I really know people yet. And yes, it's only been probably about a month and a half. I just feel like that geeky freak in the corner of the party, and everyone's wondering, "Who invited her?"
That's not to say I'm sitting in the corner, quietly observing. Oh no. I totally try to be a part of each game, I throw myself into conversations. I try to make sure not to be too loud, but I try to make myself heard. It's just my over-analyzing mind that freaks out at everything. Who knows? Maybe people really like me, I just don't know it because I'm blocking it out with my internal anxieties. So basically, I need to CTFO. Is chill the F out a thing? Or is there a variation of it? I definitely need to use it.
Actually, that reminds me of an interesting abbreviation that someone mentioned on the trip: FOMO. Her friend made it up, and it's a fear of missing out. The one who mentioned it said it was one of her biggest fears, and it's probably a fear that a lot of people have. Which is SO TRUE. No one wants to be left out.

So, recap: Fun trip, fake camping, freaking out over nothing. Good recap everyone!

On an unrelated note, no I did not take pictures. I know. I'm so bad at it. The truth is, my only camera on hand is my phone camera, which I feel ridiculous with sometimes. This is currently the state of my camera:

Heck, this picture is from my web cam because my phone camera isn't working. #firstworldproblems

I've tried turning it off and on, but it won't do anything. I don't know why. However, I don't want to save up or ask for a camera for Christmas, because I need to know that I'll actually take pictures with a camera. I used to take pictures all of the time, what the heck happened? I'm not sure, but that's not my current goal at the moment. We'll talk more about goals in another post.

As for this week, it's time to get organized, get work done, and get this freaking fly out of my room that's been in here for about five days. He just won't leave. Goodness.
I'll leave you with the song I totally have stuck in my head due to watching A Goofy Movie this morning.

Do you have FOMO? Have you ever stayed in a yurt?

Make a Wish!

I think I was meant to live somewhere where it's sunny all of the time. I huddle next to a heater at even the slightest hint of cold weather, and it's not even that cold here. At least I don't live where it gets really cold. On the other hand, I really like Oregon so I shouldn't complain.

It's funny though, since I'm on the topic of cold weather to realize that we're already smack dab in the middle of November. Hm, maybe not quite smack dab, but you get the idea.
Part of the reason it seems weird is because the fall colors are seriously coming out right now. For example, today I was looking at the trees and thinking, "Wow, it sure is nice out there. Weird that it's getting so cold in the fall." Then I remembered... We're not in October. We're in November. Seem to keep forgetting that little fact. Seriously though, the fall colors are gorgeous right now. I even took a blurry picture while running because it looked cool.
...Well, at least I thought I did but it's nowhere to be found on my phone. That's what you get for taking pictures while you're still running. What, you don't do that?

I never really thought about it before, but November is actually a pretty swell month. There's the big event Thanksgiving (for the U.S. at least), but there's also a few little interesting holidays, both of my parents' birthdays, and the nearing of the end of the term. The last one is always a good deal.

One the fun little holidays that just so happens to be happening this year only? 11/11/11. Yes. I've been excited about this little holiday for awhile, just because it's a fun idea. The rest of the year, you're supposed to make wishes when you see the clock strike 11:11. Today, it makes the wishes an even bigger deal because of the date. There's a debate on which 11:11 you're supposed to make your wish on, the AM or PM one. Unfortunately, I was filling out an application at the time of the AM one, so I didn't see a clock! Sad life. I'll just have to wish extra hard when it comes to the PM one tonight.

Ridiculous holiday? Perhaps, but you gotta enjoy the little things in life.

Also, happy Veteran's Day! Thanks to all of the veterans out there.

Have you ever heard of 11/11? Did you make a wish?

Voices in my Head

Oh goodness. Do you ever have a day that's just weird? Schedule wise? Mine certainly was. It started off extremely relaxed, believing I would have more time in the evening. That, due to events beyond my control, did not happen. And that's all I have to say about that.

One thing that I did plan on doing today was my long run for the week, when I usually run it on Saturday. However, because I'm not going to have much time for running this Saturday, I thought I would get it done today.
The run was 8 miles, and I was definitely psyching myself out before it. "I never do a long run during the middle of the week" I whined to myself. Then, I had a realization. This summer, I would eat my lunch while driving, get to work, run 8 miles, and be at work all sweaty. I've run 8 miles plenty of times on Thursday. So I slapped my subconscious silly and went on my run. The run wasn't so bad either! (I did have some stomach pain though. Ugh.)

This may sound a little weird, but for a lot of things I have two voices in my head: The complaining voice and the common sense voice. Other time that something like this happened was when I was looking in the mirror.
"I'm fat," the complaining voice said.
"Your weight is perfectly fine, it's in a good range," the common sense voice replied. "Your problem is that you're not toned, and that's what you're comparing yourself to. If you actually followed along with a good strength training program, maybe you could fix that."

Ouch common sense voice! Still, she's got a voice. Wait, she? This is all just my own thoughts, but I don't know what the right pronoun is.

Anywho, those are my thoughts. I have to do a little studying... I wish I had my flashcards earlier!

When was the last time you slapped your subconscious because of a ridiculous thought?

The Shopping Advice

They say you should never go shopping when you're hungry. For the most part, I usually abide by this rule. However, today I was not expecting to be ravenous at 10:30 AM. Which is why everything I passed by looked incredible while I was grocery shopping this morning.

Fun fact: I grocery shop on Wednesdays because I've heard from multiple sources that the stores are at their cheapest prices on Wednesday. Mock me if you must, but at least I don't have to deal with the weekend craziness.

The reason they say that you should never go shopping when you're hungry is because you'll make bad food decisions. Did that affect me? Well...

Yes. Just a little. However, I thought about it, and I came to this conclusion: Having a little bit of something sweet helps us from bingeing on other foods, because we can actually satisfy our craving. I'm always craving a little bit of dessert, so having a little on hand is a good thing. Plus, I know what a serving size is. A lot of people scoop way more than that. I scooped into a half cup, and enjoyed my little treat! (On a random note, scooping ice cream into a measuring cup feels ridiculous. I need one of those scoops that measures the ice cream at the same time.)

Speaking of food, recently in Human Physiology we've been talking about The Female Athlete, and eating disorders. Sure, not every female athlete has one, but it's very common in them as the talks have gone. Our professor's main point has been that currently, we're putting "money in the bank", so to speak. What that means is right now we're building up bones and muscle that will help us when we're older, or "withdrawing". The whole point of it is that if you're not adding to the bank, you're going to be out of luck when you're older. As for the female athlete, if they're not getting enough nutrients in (food), that means they might be experiencing amennorheia, and their bone density is disappearing. Not good. This section has made me eat more lately, while frantically screaming, "I need money in the bank!" in my head. The truth is, I probably haven't been fueling up enough lately for my running, and I want to be healthy in the future. And no, that doesn't mean stuffing my face with ice cream. I just need more good fuel. Honestly, I know that there are times where I should eat more, just because of how my body is reacting. It's a little worrisome.
Then again, I don't want to gain weight like crazy. Goodness, the balance is so difficult.

Huh, when did this post become so serious? I thought we were talking about ice cream. Oh well.

What is a shopping rule that you like to follow? What's a rule that you always break?

The Story of Movember

There's been a holiday celebration that has been happening for quite a few days now. A holiday that once had good intentions behind it, but now has become an excuse for a lack of hygiene.

That's right. I'm talking about Movember.

Many people know of this holiday, but in case you don't the other name for it is No Shave November. Participants do exactly what the title implies, by not shaving. Originally it started as some project to raise awareness or something for some organization fighting prostate cancer, but now that is not the case. Movember gives guys a chance to try to grow that beard/facial hair they've always wanted to try growing.

In my high school, Movember was a big deal. The hipster/hippie population loved the idea of trying to grow majestic facial hair hoping they would grow something the gods of facial hair would approve of. They imagined their hair would grow like this:

But instead, it tends to grow like this:

Well, I guess he actually wants his facial hair to look like this. But you get the picture.

Then, after a few days of being mocked for looking like a pedophile, they angrily decide to shave it off. That's how it usually goes.

Seeing as it's the 21st century, girls have wanted their spot in the Movember movement. That means they decide not to shave their legs, pits, or both. And yes, there are debates about this. Sad, really.

Why do I mention all of this? Well, it's because I have a sad confession. I've kind of been involuntarily participating in this event.
Personally, I love the feeling of being clean shaven. Sure I'll be colder, but smooth legs just always feel so nice! However, before today I'd probably gone a week and a half without shaving my legs. Ew for me. The thing is, I haven't really had a choice. There's a funny thing with my shower... it doesn't keep hot water for more than five minutes. Usually by the time I get to shaving, the water has turned ice cold. Meaning I don't really want to be standing in it. No, the water heater is not located in my apartment. Believe me, I've looked.
Today I was able to shave me legs, but it was with the shower off. Just ridiculous.

On a random hair note, yesterday I saw one of the saddest things. It was a guy with a hipster beard, balding comb over, and working at Target. How depressing.

I think that's enough talk about hair for one day, don't you?

Do you support Movember? Do you like shaving, or do you do it just to be presentable?

Life As a Duck: Getting Accustomed to U of O

So, grump-a-lump Hannah is gone, and regular Hannah seems to have returned. Also, I need to stop with the third person crap. Ha, anywho...

There are times where I start to miss good ol' WOU. Mostly, it's for the people that I met there. I wonder if they miss me, or if they've moved on? Well, I still see people and think, "Oh that's So-and-so! Wait... Never mind."

However, I mention that first because in reality, I'm getting more and more accustomed to UofO. What do ya know, getting used to a place takes time! What a concept.

Here are just a few things that have made me appreciate this place:

There is always something going on. Today when riding over to an appointment, a commercial was being filmed with Puddles.

This is Puddles. He does Push ups.

Sure, it was just to send to alumni for the holidays, but there's always something to be entertained/interested by. Walking by the EMU? There's a person selling clothes there today. Oh look, there's a singing group performing. Seriously, I've seen some crazy things. Craziest probably being the zombie walk, which apparently happens every year. This year, they were the 99% at the same time. Weird mix? Indeed.

There are a lot more things to get involved with. At WOU, I tried to get into groups. I asked if they had a running club and they didn't. One of my friends and I tried to make a movie fan club type thing, but it didn't really work out. (We got information about forming a club too late.) Here on the other hand has plenty of things to get involved with, as you've heard me talk about. As for getting involved, that doesn't just mean clubs and intramural sports. There are more places to go, things to see, parties to attend. 'Tis a good thing.

Football is actually you know, a big deal here. Out of all of the sports to watch, I've talked about how I like to watch football. At WOU, I went to games quite a bit but it was kind of sad. There was no spirit section, most of the people in the stands were alumni, and our team was awful. It's cool when you get to a school that has the second loudest college football stadium in the nation. Plus, it doesn't hurt that the team is good.

Finally, it's cool to be at a place where almost everything has a little secret history to it. For instance, there's a weird guy who is always panning off his joke book in front of a bookstore on campus. Yeah, it's annoying like you would thing, but the other day I learned the story of Frog. That's what he's called. Apparently, he's been selling that joke book for decades, and he even was in a court case in the 70's debating if he was allowed to sell the books in the street like that. And apparently, he hella won that case. It's just weird little facts and tidbits that I keep learning that are quite interesting.

I'm sure there are other things that are making me like this town, but I'm not really sure what they are right now. Likewise, there are things that I'm still disliking or worried about. I'm terrified about grades, simply because I'm worried about being able to study abroad and getting into the J school here. Most of my classes are alright, but there are some... maybe it's just the classes, not the school. Probably. I think WOU just felt safer since the classes were smaller, meaning it was easier getting to know your professors and such. Then again, I'm a worrywart.

Gosh, I didn't do anything today... at least that's how it felt. I did make/go to some appointments, studied up on programs, just... I don't know. Should have worked on my essay more, but what can you do? I'll work on it more tomorrow. Besides, I've already looked at it for awhile.

What are some positives you can think of about the last place you moved to?

The Kid of the Group

Welp, I'm back home working on homework that is due tomorrow. And, no, you don't have to ask me why I wasn't working on it in the car today. The reason for that is because I didn't have Internet, and that's all that I needed for the assignment. Yes, not a smart move on my part, but I wasn't expecting to get home on Sunday evening. What can you do?

As for my cousin, she's doing good. She had a slight concussion, and just needs to take the week off. She's going to have killer bruises on her face from getting smacked in the nose though. Ouch. Last night happened to be pretty stressful because it took so long to find out anything. We were in there for two hours before they finally scanned her head. What was going on for those two hours?

My original thought process was that this would be a relaxing weekend. Just a weekend to chill, not worry, all of that. The thing is, I didn't think about who I'd be riding with. My company were three... older ladies? I don't really like putting my mom in that category. Still that's what we've got.

Normally, a group like this is fine, if they're mixed with other groups. But when it's just an older squad and your 20 year old self?... Be prepared for two days of being told you're constantly wrong, and feeling like you're being treated like a child. At least that's how it felt for me. Almost every comment was, "No, that's not right" towards me. Or "No, you didn't." Or maybe some variation of Hannah doing something wrong.The other half of the time, it seemed to be that whatever I said wasn't heard, or was just ignored. Basically, I just felt like I was being treated like a little kid. I bet that's how I'm viewed, just because that's how we tend to view some people we know. There are cousins that I have that I have a hard time imagining them as anything older than 5. It's just not a fun seat to be thrown in.
This might make me sound like even more of a kid, I know. Still, I just want to feel like I'm actually... respected? I'm not sure what I'm trying to say, but I think respected is the closest word to what I want to say. And I'll admit, I didn't handle it the best way I could have but when it comes to a boiling point, you tend to snap.

On the other hand, it was good I went up I suppose. I was extra support when she needed it, even if she probably didn't. Plus, I got to see a real life Oscar. That was cool.
It was at Gonzaga, because Bing Crosby has a big memorial thing there. Including his Oscar. Yeah.

Well, I've got to get back to this assignment. It might be a late night, just due to the fact that I have no idea where to find information on the female menstrual system. Yeah, that's my homework. Not a fan of Human Physiology.

Does feeling like you're the little kid in a group ever go away? I hope so.

The Reason for Washington.

Correction: Now I'm in Washington.

Currently I'm in the ER with my grandma and my cousin's grandma. The whole reason for the random trip up to WA was to watch my cousin play basketball. A fun little trip. Unfortunately, my cousin may have gotten a concussion, hence the waiting in an ER. Plus, this is her 4th (maybe) concussion. Not good, especially since this could end her bball career for her school. So, well wishes to her!
That's really all I have to say for now, because that's all I can really think about. Wish her well, and I'll see y'all later.

Food for Thought: Wasting Food

I have a confession: I've let food go bad.

I know, I know. As a college kid who's trying to be frugal, wasting food is one of the worst things I could do. It's a problem.
The thing is, I think it's because I haven't been eating my food the right way. There's been stuff that I've waited to use, and should have cooked up as soon as I bought it.

Another reason for my food crime? I got way too much food at the beginning of the school year. In my mind, I thought that I would need a lot more food than I bought. I suppose I got a little too excited. I mean, I had never bought or cooked all of my groceries for myself before! Sure, I've made food when at non-college home... but the groceries were not those that I bought for myself. Plus, I grew up eating a lot of... dare I admit it, smart ones. That's just what had been in my house for the most part. And soup. I've always liked my soup.

Final reason for my spoiling quickly food? I've been making multiple portions, then saving them in the fridge. Thinking I'll eat it all quickly, I've soon come to understand that it's very easy to get bored of foods. That usually means I'm wandering over to the soup.

Now, I'm realizing how quickly food can go bad. I'm trying to learn more about it. For one thing, I need to make variety out of my foods. Usually I cook up one type of meat, and throw it with something else. I need to explore flavors and tastes.

Another thing I need to do? Freeze food! I froze chicken breasts, and used those. I know I can freeze food, I just need to take more advantage of it.

Lastly, I need to use the foods I buy as soon as possible. Truthfully, it's been things like veggies that have gone bad. No more giant bags of spinach, just what I can use.

Welp, I suppose that's it from me. I'm currently in Washington. Yup. More on that later.

What do you do to make sure you don't waste food?

The Thing With APO

I've been talking about APO so much, but not really giving any details, huh? Well, let's fix that!

I've explained what APO is plenty of times, but really it's a lot more than just a service fraternity. For one thing, there are "fellowship projects", which are basically excuses to hang out as a group and such. The reason I watched Disney Movies for almost 6 hours? APO. Next week, there are a lot of fellowship things going on, including the fellowship retreat next weekend! We're all going up to a place to camp in yurts. Exciting? Yes, especially since the "camping" is pretty much not very camp-ery. I think they have kitchens in them. Just sayin'.

Seeing as I am a pledge, I have to go to pledge classes. Supposedly, the classes are to help us learn about APO's history and all that jazz, but they're pretty relaxed. I mean, tonight we played an improv game. Yup.

Of course, there's also chapter. Just meetings, telling us upcoming things. You know, plus some random stuff.

One of the cool things about APO that I didn't know at first was that we get a BIG. A Big is a person who's a brother, and they're just there for advice or whatever we want to talk about. Is there an exact definition? I don't know. All I do know is that before we found out who our Big was, we got little gifts the whole week. My Big didn't give me the greatest of clues. I was a little skeptical of my big at first, because the gifts seemed... weird. But, it turns out I have a cool Big, and I have a twin since there are so many pledges!
On the night we found out our Bigs, we also got APO shirts! Pretty cool.


FB pic! In the bathroom. Classy.

 We also were separated into "families", Alpha, Phi, or Omega. The families really only matter during family Olympics, which is a thing in spring. Not a lot I know about it. Anywho, my family is Alpha.

The last interesting thing I learned about APO came at the end of chapter yesterday. There's always a song that's sung at the end of chapter, and at one part a few of the members always say "Floyd!" I just thought it was a sound, so I asked my Big about it. Apparently Floyd is a manatee. That APO takes care of. Yeah, the mascot of APO is a manatee. That is amazing.

I hope I haven't bored you with all of this APO stuff! Just trying to explain it. In other news of my life, my roommate has a really weird habit. When she knocks on my door, she's always really close to the door when I open it. It's just... weird.

I suppose that's all from me. Ta ta!

What's the last club or organization that you joined? Any fun facts?

Goin' To Meetings, Things, and Such

Man oh man. This week is going by excellently fast! I'm so excited for a chilled out weekend, it's ridiculous.

I've been up to quite a bit lately. Meetings, volunteering, errands... I've certainly kept myself busy. Tomorrow though? Completely free until 5:00pm. Still, what have I been up to you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked! It's mostly been APO and UFO stuff really. Although today, I went to a Study Abroad Information session.

This is what comes up when I search "Study Abroad". Yup.

Fact: Apparently I could study abroad this year if I wanted to. I don't know where I got the waiting for transfer credits thing from, but suposively it doesn't matter. I also asked about how GPA would work, for example how my GPA from WOU would affect it, if at all. I'd like it to, because I worked really hard last year. Apparently, that would be used to my advantage. Nice.
Going to that session made me want to study abroad even more than before. And I really wanted to study abroad before.
As for the going this year? I think I'll wait. I'm still trying to figure out things around here!

I think I've mentioned UFO before, but what it stands for is the University Film Organization. Remember how I said that I might be on TV? Blame UFO.

Have you ever heard of Dan Savage? He writes a column in Seattle all about sex, and he's been on a lot of things like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Yeah, I had to look these up. Anywho, he's making a show for MTV called Savage Love where he goes to campuses all around the country, and talks about sex.
Before y'all get all nervous, don't worry. I'm not admitting that I'm actually a stripper that is into S+M from her clients, or some weird sex stuff. If I do show up, I'm just talking about the school and such, trying terribly to do the "GOooooo DUCKS!" call. I've also just helped volunteer, moving people around in lines for the Q and A. I mean, why not?

As for APO... I have a lot to say about it, but I've already rambled for so long! That will just have to wait for its own post I guess.

Have you had any interesting meetings/events occur this week?

The Scantron Situation

Have you ever had that nightmare where you get to a test, and even though you got everything you needed, something big is missing? Well let me tell you a little story...

As I mentioned yesterday, I was anticipating an exam today. I knew everything that was needed. I made sure I had my number 2 pencil. I even made sure that I had the right type of scan tron sheet.

I arrive early to the exam, and get ready Pencil... wait. Where's my folder with my scan trons? That I always have in my backpack, and never take out? Not here, apparently.

This leads me to dash over to the bookstore, where I know they have some. As I tear through my bag, I discover my wallet's not in there. I had just taken it out to write down my payment for rent. And not put it back. For some reason.

I ended up having to run back to my apartment, grabbing the folder, and dashing off. But not before having the key get stuck in the lock (this is a usual thing) and having to yank it out, causing the key ring to slingshot back at me. This comes back later.

I finally managed to get back with everything for the exam, and even before they had handed out the exams to a third of the hall. All is well. Alas, to add to the bizarre-ness of nightmare situations, I look over and my right hand is covered in blood. Apparently the key-ring sliced open the knuckle on my finger.


A bit of the blood was still there after I wiped it off. Ew.

 Thankfully, everything turned out. I did look like I was going to pass out at one point though. I think I did pretty well on the exam, oddly enough. We'll see.

I told this tale to my sister to which she sneered, "That's why you check your bag again. God."

The thing is, I am that person who checks over everything a million times. I had that folder in my backpack all morning, and have no idea why it was out. I never take it out. I check my school email multiple times for events, just to make sure. I always know how much money I have in my bank account, and write down every purchase I make including ones with cash. I even have a list of things to have in my backpack. I'm not an irresponsible person! I swear! Hell, my sister has even been the one to tell me to loosen up of my Type A ways.

I think I'm just losing it. Plain and simple. I'm getting to the point where I'm stressed out so I'll just shut down. It's not a good thing. I shouldn't be so stressed, but I am! I hate this unorganized mind I have going on. I just want to be my usual self.

For now, I need to get on some homework, but I'll see y'all later.

Have you ever had a "nightmare" situation in real life?