Vacation Time

Hm. My posts have been a bit sporatic this week, and they're about to be even more sporatic.

I'm going on vacation.

Yep, I'm off to the sun and sea, and it'll be ever so delightful. Spring break has officially started, and I'm off for adventures.
Funny thing is, I wasn't going to go on this trip before. However, my dad couldn't go, so there was an open space. So... yeah. Here I am.

There really hasn't been much else in the past day or so. I went to the midnight showing of The Hunger Games, so on Friday I was not the best at functioning. I don't know how people do it. Even only getting 5 hours makes me exhausted, let alone 3.5 hours. It doesn't help that I only got four last night either. Eh, at least vacation is starting.

As for my grades, I know for a fact I've gotten some good ones. Probably my best term in terms of gpa ever? I think so.

The week ahead brings snoozing, reading, and sipping fruity drinks.

If I don't see y'all soon, I hope you have a lovely week!

Any fun plans for the week?

Running Safely

I certainly wasn't expecting this when I got up yesterday.

The snow hasn't melted much, so today's run certainly was an interesting one. I spent most of the time dodging snow. And speaking of running... (which seems to be the only thing I ever talk about anymore)

At my school, we get email about crimes that happen in the area. It's lovely getting an email about how someone was sexually assaulted a block from your apartment. Makes you more paranoid, which might be a good thing, but still. One email that I got recently gave me quite a fright though. A girl was running on one of the paths nearby when a grown man grabbed her. ...Yeah, that puts a girl's mind at ease.

The incident did make me think about running safety though, and what I do to be safe. Here are my little things, and some things you might do too.

Be aware of your surroundings
This may seem like an obvious one, but a lot of the time people aren't observant. Always look before crossing the street, see where you're going... all of those things. Sometimes it's a problem when you have music because you can't hear things. If you know you're going to be somewhere where you need to hear your surroundings better (like next to a road with no sidewalk), maybe go without.

Take a phone with you, or tell someone where you're going
Having a phone with you when you run can be an extremely useful thing. I like running with my phone not only because it keeps track of my distance but because I can use it if I need it. I used it a couple of times during my summer long runs when I'd end somewhere farther away than I'd like to walk from. Don't want to carry a phone? Don't have a phone? Tell someone where you're going then. Give an estimated time (give yourself some leeway) and head out. If you're not back by about a half hour later than your given time or so, then they might have something to worry about.

Run in well lit/well known areas
Alright, this isn't always possible with things like trail runs. Plus, during the summer when it's blazing during the day it's nicer to run in the evening. However, it's a good idea to go where people can see you for runs. Perhaps go on a trail that a lot of people go on? Then other people will see stuff going on, and they can help. If you pass out in the middle of no where you're not going to get a lot of help. The girl who got grabbed was running when it was darker, and that area can get sketchy at night.

Run with buddies
This isn't necessary, but sometimes it can be nice running with other people. There's strength in numbers. Plus it changes things up from time to time.

Look powerful
Sound ridiculous? Hear me out. When I was in cross country, our coach always told us to never look tired. If we looked tired, our opponents would see that and try to kick our asses. Why? Because they know they could. However, if you look strong no one want to mess with you. Now I don't know how well that works in the real world, but think about it: Two girls are running. One looks strong, ready to continue for another few miles. The other looks like they're going to pass out. Which one would a potential attacker go for? The one that looks like she can fight back? Yeah right. Then again, I don't know how a potential attacker's mind works. They might go for me anyways. Still, I always feel a little better when I look strong.

So, those are a few things that work for me. Not sure if they're the greatest tips, but... eh. Welp, I have a final to do, things to not be lazy about. I'll have plenty of time for that soon enough.

What do you do to stay safe when you're running?

The Start of Finals and Such

Is it Friday yet? I'd really like it to be Friday.

Today I had two of my first finals, and they turned out alright... at least I hope that Econ final turned out alright. One of my most important study rules is to get a good night's sleep. Might sound silly, but it helps the information actually stick. Well last night for some reason my brain thought waking up at all hours was a much better plan. I think I was worried about getting up on time, which is ridiculous. I've had an 8 AM class every day this term, so I think it's possible for me to wake up normally for a test at the same time.

I don't have anything on my plate for the next few days other than two more finals, a haircut, and the Hunger Games. You'd think I'd be worried for my two finals, but honestly I feel like I'm already done. Despite my lack of proper grammar in the blog, I know my grammar pretty well. I didn't even study for the last quiz and got 100%. I skimmed for the midterm and missed one. Knock on wood still. I'll obviously study a little though. The other "final" is a monlogue performance, and I think that'll be fine.

I'm finally getting a haircut! 'Bout time. I'm going to grow out my bangs instead of trimming them again because I'm done with them. Bah. I'll deal with my forehead instead. The rest of the world (people I talk to) think that I should keep it long, but I'm getting tired of it. When you get choked by your own hair in the middle of the night because you shift to the other side, you tend to wish for shorter hair.

I've been thinking about my goal of "living well" I set for myself at the beginning of January, and I need to get back into high gear for that. Sure, I've been eating fruits and veggies, but I need to think less about food. Well, less obsessing about food. Thinking about when I can eat, how much I can eat...
No. I need to eat like a normal human being.

Speaking of food... Don't you hate it when you're at the point where if you buy something now, you'll have too much of it by the end of the week, but if you don't you'll have to live without it for awhile? Currently, I am without English muffins. I eat them all of the time, and that includes for breakfast with peanut butter and jam. PB and J on toast is my breakfast almost every day, but I can't do that with no toast. I'd go to the store, but there are other things I should probably use up. I'm also out of craisins and frozen veggies, two other staples. Will I cave? We'll see. I have three days to last without.

On the last food note, I think I've realized I don't actually like baked goods. I like the batter. I was seriously looking at desserts and thought, "Man, I bet the bowl for that would be delicious to lick." Cookie dough is so much more satisfying than cookies. Banana bread bowls are meant for me to taste. I seem to like the taste of salmonella? Eh. You can have your chocolate fudge cake, just gimme the bowl and spoon.

Even though I ran today and yesterday, I'm considering a run tomorrow. I don't run three days in a row, so I probably shouldn't. Whenever I run though, I feel like I've actually done something with my day. Goodness, that is a bit concerning... but I don't have anything on my scedule tomorrow. Maybe I'll look for a running store down here.

Well. That certainly was a random post. Random post for a random day I guess? Finals week will do that to you.

How is your week going? Any big, exciting projects?

Having it Easier

I just have to say that this weekend was a great weekend. I spent times with friends, family, and doing things that made me feel good.

Now, the upcoming week is finals week. Yep. You know what though? I'm not terrified. I'm not extremely stressed, or lacking sleep, or spending hours hidden away in the library.

This term hasn't been very hard, and weirdly enough I feel guilty. Yes, guilty. Or maybe the right word is embarrassed.

When I hear everyone else talk about how hard they have to work, I feel bad. I don't have to write papers that have page limits in the double digits. I don't have finals that take studying time to the max. My classes are simple.

I think why it makes me feel guilty is because it feels like I'm being lazy in college. Being lazy in college isn't good. You go to college to prove that you've learned a lot and are an educated citizen.

However, I think of why I'm not going crazy with stress right now compared to a lot of people and it makes sense. Most people I talk to are upper class men. I apparently have a habit of getting to know the upperclassmen, especially since I know a lot of my sister's friends. Most of them are graduating this year, so obviously they have upper division courses. Upper division courses= more difficulty.
I'm taking lower division courses right now because I have to. Necessary credits. I know I'll have harder work in the future.

For example, all journalism students have to go through a sequence called Gateway. I'm doing it winter term, and I know it's going to be a lot of work. I don't even know all of the details of the series, but it involves a huge project that takes up a lot of time. I've seen the mention of Gateway make some students cringe.

The point is, I know I'll have a lot to work in the future. Sure I have easy classes now, but that will change. I need to make sure that the classes I take now I get as high of grades as I can. I think it would be nice to try for an honor of some kind in college, and these classes right now will help.

Sure I've had a few stresses with this term, but looking back they've been minor. I tend to over think things. Like over thinking the ease of this term? Perhaps. Eh. That's how I roll.

That isn't to say I shouldn't study for my finals, because I definitely need to study for ECON.

Do you ever feel guilty for weird things (Like having it easier in school)? Did your college major have a big project required?

Running: With Groups and Training

I have a confession: I have written out almost complete posts, then deleted everything I wrote. ON PURPOSE. Why? Because sometimes I feel like what I wrote doesn't matter anymore, or it was gibberish. When I say doesn't matter, I mean I don't really care about what I was talking about anymore. Eh. It happens.

What I do care about is the fact that I went on a fantastic run today, and I happened to run it with my sister!

My sister and I tend to do runs together on Sundays, along with one of her friends. They're usually the easy runs of the week, and they're one of my shortest runs of the week. For today, we were doing a long run.
I thought I would be too tired. I thought I would be too hot or too cold. I thought my legs would be sore because I ran yesterday, and I usually don't run the day before my long run.

None of that happened today. I felt good and I probably could have even run more! (I should be running more, but I've been keeping it chill. I have no marathons in the future, thankyouverymuch.)Plus it was an exploration run, which always makes up a good run. The only part where I felt week was on the killer uphill, and that's why I need to work on my uphills more. Funny thing is my sister kills uphills, but hates downhills. I adore downhills and despise uphills. Too bad we can't trade off.

With running in mind, I'd like to think of what distances I would be in shape for right now. I totally could do a 5k, a 10k, or even a 15k right now. I think I could do a half marathon in a month from now if I set mileages, or do one sooner... if I wanted to be aching the next day, that is. The point of all of this is that races need proper training.

I mention this because of a certain blogger's post I read recently. In it she says, "And here's something that probably doesn't surprise you... I'm extremely unprepared."

I wish her well obviously, but at the same time that totally worries me. I don't know what "extremely unprepared" means, but it's not exactly a good phrase for your first half marathon.

Alright, I know that different runners need different mileages for training purposes. Heck, I know someone that ran 14 miles as their farthest distance before a marathon. Granted, I think it wasn't her first, but still. And she still ran it fine.
On the other hand, I know a guy who was in excellent shape that tried a half marathon. Problem was he was in good shape from swimming, not running. His longest recent run had been about 3 miles. He couldn't walk afterwards, he had to be helped.

Therefore, I think that training is very important. You don't have to run the whole distance (my longest marathon training run was 21 miles), but just prepare your body.

So Lexie, I wish you good luck (although by now I think you've already run it). I hope you can walk after.

Other than that... On my exam on Friday, I didn't do as well as I wanted. However, the professor added up my grade, and what I thought would be a B+ became an A-. This is why you do the extra credit, folks! I could try to get an A if I get a good enough grade on the final... but I don't have to take it. He drops the lowest of the three exam scores. Yup, that's a 100 level class for you.

Excited for tonight, and tomorrow. Just going to be good times.

Also, can I just say that the sun staying out after five is amazing? Ah.

Oh, I almost forgot! It's St.Patrick's Day! Happy St.Patrick's Day! (Obviously I have nothing planned around this event.)

What are your thoughts on proper training?

Different Opinions on Giving Information

I'm both excited for the weekend and nervous. Excited for fun times with both friends and family; Not so excited for upcoming finals.

Here's a recent moment I had with my mother. I got a call from her, asking about a reference that was for my job working for her. As you know now, I got the internship that I applied for. (I'm actually going in to talk to them today) In my mind, I was going to tell her the next time I saw her, which I knew would be very soon. In my mind, when family members get together, that's when they announce new and exciting things in their life. Think of any movie where a family is having a type of reunion. In that situation, they'll say, "I got the promotion!" or "I found a new guy." Since she was asking about it though, I thought I'd say "Yeah, I got the internship" casually.
Next thing I know my mom is breaking down over the phone.

"You girls never tell me anything! It's like you don't want me in your lives!"

WHOA. Calm down! It was a storm of emotion being throw at me over the speaker. You see how I explained my vision of telling people things above? Apparently she didn't see it that way.

I find it a little bizarre that I got this reaction the more I think about it. My mom will casually throw around big news in conversation like it's no thing all of the time. She does it especially to my dad.

I also thought about how I usually tell people big information. Honestly, it takes me twenty minutes to figure out a good way to throw in the fact it's my birthday into the conversation. (Not for another seven months) Throwing out information like that casually is normal for me.

Personally, I don't think I've done anything wrong. That's my opinion.
I tried to make this sound the least amount of teen-angsty as possible, but it still sounds pretty much like that. I tried.

I had an excellent pi day yesterday, did you? I ended up worrying over nothing schedule wise, I enjoyed the company of delightful people, and discussed serious topics. For example, why cheesecake should be called cheese pie. It's made with a graham crust. Actually makes sense.

Next big thing on my to do list is Human Physiology Exam Studying! Don't know why that's all capitalized. Hm. If I do well enough on this exam tomorrow, I won't have to take the final. That will be nice, because then the only Tuesday final I'll have to worry about is economics.

On a last note, Community returns tonight! I feel like a bad fan for not watching it tonight, but I just can't. I need to keep my brain on the HPHY, but instead I'll reward myself with it after my test. Plus, I don't have a TV. So there's that.

How do you usually talk to other people about big news?

Sinuses and Scheduling Conflicts

A part of my body ached during the first few minutes of my run today. Can you guess what it is?
If you guessed my tooth, you're right! If you didn't, I'm not surprised.

In my current state, I don't feel sickly. However, I've been blowing my nose constantly and I've had plenty come out. Also, according to the Internet I might have a sinus infection.  I say this because right now it looks like I snorted a highlighter, and the Internet believes that it could be caused by a sinus infection. Nasty, I know.

Back to the tooth thing. As you may know, sinuses feel pressure or sensitive when you've got a lot of junk mussing up there. Right near my sinuses obviously are my teeth. Well, one of my upper teeth sometimes feels like it's going to be yanked out if I'm bouncing around, and I blame it on the fact that it's a baby tooth. Yeah, I've got two baby teeth in place of adult teeth that never grew. I'm actually missing four of my adult teeth, but I only kept two of my baby teeth to keep my mouth slightly normal. I doubt that's a real thing, but it's the only reason I can give for my tooth hurting so bad. Hm.

I'm hoping that's also the reason my pace has been awful lately. Seriously, just... ugh. I hope that my pace is worse just due to the fact that I can't breathe through my nose.

In other news, I'm a bit... peeved right now. Is that the right word? Perhaps.
For you see, yesterday my plans were aligned nicely. From 6:00-7:00 tomorrow, I have chapter. Right after that, I was going to enjoy the company of people and pie. Yes, it's Pi Day. I get excited about it every year. After that, I was going to go to the final screening for Duck TV at 8:00. The mandatory screening.
Then this morning I get an email:

"The screening will be at 7:00 pm."

Yes. Of course. The only time to hang out with people I actually want to hang out with, you have to change the schedule.

This wouldn't annoy me so much if it weren't for the fact that the rest of my evenings are free this week. I don't know what it is about Wednesdays, but apparently all of my activities think they should happen on Wednesday.
I know. This is totally a First World Problem. (And if you hate that phrase, I'm sorry) But honestly, I'm really disappointed. I was really looking forward to the Pi Day festivities, it sounded like fun. I'm closer to the APO peeps than any of the Duck TV people. I'm hoping I can show up a little late to the screening, and pop by the Pi party for a little bit. Besides, they always start the screenings something like fifteen minutes late.

I was planning on talking about a reaction I got yesterday in today's post, but I suppose that will have to wait for tomorrow. Hopefully that last sentence wasn't confusing. It just deserves a whole post.

When was the last time you had two things you wanted to go to scheduled at the same time? What's a weird thing that happens to you when you're sick?

Choosing Coffee

Proving my weather/mood hypothesis wrong, I've been in a good mood despite the weather. There's only one word I think describes this weather perfectly, and that word is blustery. Honestly, it would probably be pretty warm if it weren't for the wind. Hmm.

Currently I am pulling a delightfully hipster move. (Or at least when I was writing this earlier) I am typing this up in a Starbucks cafe, sipping on tea. Alright, it's ice tea but it's still tea.

This isn't a usual thing for me. The buying coffee drinks thing that is. I don't care very much about coffee or tea, but I do have a gift card I received for Christmas. $25 will buy you a lot of Passion Iced teas.
I find the addiction to coffee drinks so bizarre. My reasons are because it's another college kid habit that I'm somehow not a part of, and how it affects people so drastically.

I remember hearing about a study that explained coffee addiction. The way that coffee's caffeine effected people with energy is strange. After someone has been drinking coffee as a way to wake up consistently, they're no longer able to get to that level of energy in the morning without it. Before, they were able to get to a higher alertness if allowed (like getting enough sleep), but once caffeine is regular you can't get up to that same energy point again. Well, without coffee that is. Don't quote me on that.

I also find it so crazy how financially responsible people can falter with money when it comes to coffee drinks. Then again, I used to sort of be like that with diet soda. Even then, I bought soda maybe once or twice a week. I know people who buy it everyday. Say you buy a coffee everyday of the work week for $2. That's $10 a week. That's $40 a month. On coffee. Too much for me!
I suppose the argument against money is a lot of people have their own coffee machines. Coffee shops are still thriving though, so I think a lot of people continue to get their fix from them.

I suppose I don't do coffee because I don't like the taste, but I also don't want to get dependent on it. Why start an expensive habit if you don't even like the taste? I don't know.

I've been told sophomore year is when the coffee craving kicks in, but it hasn't... yet. We'll see.

I'm ready for spring break. I'm ready for a new term. I tire of this term, it's boring. I know, I'm going to hate that statement when I'm busy, but for now... yeah. Boring.

Are you a coffee drink addict?

Libraries and Future Reading Material

I adore libraries. Yes, I've talked about this before. I could spend an entire day in a library if you let me. I think I just like libraries because it's an endless supply of new information for free. Plus, the information can be about anything. It can come in the form of new stories, both fictional and not; It can be learning how to perform a new task. Sure, you could say that the Internet has all of this "for free" as well, but the Internet and books are two very different things. I'm not saying I don't like reading blogs (I do, and have wasted many hours doing such), but even a book written by a blogger is a whole different experience.

Usually, the other positive that goes with checking out books from a library is convenience, but as I've gone on, I've found libraries to be lacking in the convenience department.

Libraries on colleges are not as convenient as you would think. For one thing, all of their books are academic. I know right? Who thought of that ridiculous idea? Pish. Because of that, for awhile now I've been trying to get a library card for the public library here. It seems that they don't want me to get a library card here.
The first time I went in, they told me that I needed some proof that I was living in the town. So as was suggested, I brought in my lease as proof. Today, that didn't work. Not recent enough. Bah.

Therefore I've given up on trying to get a library card in this town. Sigh. I just wanted to be like the adorable little girl who was enjoying a book at a cafe table, a pile of books stacked past her head. Truthfully, the reason I wanted a library card was for books to read for spring break. 'Tis coming up, and I want to have some good reads.

For the time being, I'm going to get some books from my hometown library for spring break. This works fine, the only issue is getting them back home afterwards. We'll worry about that later.
Right now I'd like to give you a little peek at the books I'm planning on reading in the future.

52 Loaves by William Alexander

The Butcher and the Vegetarian : One Woman's Romp Through a World of Men, Meat, and Moral Crisis by Tara Austen Weaver

French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

The China Study

The Sorcerer's Apprentices by Lisa Abend

Wow. They're all food books. That's odd.
These are all books that have caught my eye  or I've heard about somehow. I've heard both good and bad things about some of them, but that hasn't stopped me from wanting to read them myself. I'd like to form my own opinion. Currently I have them all on hold, but we'll see if I get to all of them. Some of them might not be checked back in by the time it's spring break. As of now, they're just desired future readings.

Sleeping in yesterday? Probably not a great move for my sleep schedule. I was wide awake late into the night, and I sort of dozed off for a few minutes at eight tonight. Maybe I just can't sleep normally. Or maybe my body gets angry when I try that crap. I dunno.

What books are next on your to read list?

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

My motto for the day seems to be "Good things come to those who wait."

Well, I'm not sure if it fits for everything today, but it's a start.

One of the good things that came from waiting? Well, I applied for a paid internship recently and... I got it! I just found out last night, hooray! I suppose you could say that waiting to tell the world was good on my part, just because what if I didn't get it? Right? That's how I think anyways.

My main "Good things come to those who wait" point for the day is from my run today. For my runs, I tend to cut it into sections. On average, songs usually about 3-4 minutes. When three songs have passed, I assume I've gone a little bit around a mile in distance. (9-10 minute miles) I told myself that I would run for at least 60 minutes, and I would check my time at the end of the 9th song (about a half hour in). As my run went on, that was pushed back to the 12th song. Then to the 15th song. By the time I looked at it, I had only three minutes left! The more you check something, the longer it seems to take to get to the ending point. If I had checked it at the 9th song mark, I would still have about a half hour to go. I would have wanted to check constantly after the initial check, and that would have been annoying. "I still have so much left!" I would exclaim. Instead, when I didn't check my time I didn't think about it as much.

The last "Good things come to those who wait" idea for the day comes from just cooking, really. Sure, sometimes it's easy to throw some food together and call it good. On the other hand, when you actually take time to make something, it usually tastes a lot better. True story.

I'm a bit concerned with the coherency of this post. I've written more coherent posts while affected by other sources, but there is currently nothing affecting me. That is a bit concerning. Still, I wanted to get my thoughts out.

In other life news, my cold is disappearing quickly! Nice. I'm kind of surprised by it really. I pulled a college kid move and slept in until 11. Well, after waking up at 7 for an hour. Then falling back asleep at 8 because I thought it would make me feel better. And it did. What a concept.

What examples do you have of "Good things come to those who wait?"

Sunny Day, Sunny Mood

Yesterday, I had a moment of pure bliss. I was biking over to another building and the sun was brightly shining. After climbing up the hill, I started to roll down. The warm breeze passed by, turning my earrings into miniature wind chimes. People everywhere were enjoying the sunshine, hanging out and playing outside. Happiness was flowing through the air.

Simply bliss.

It's amazing how connected our emotions are to the weather, or how we relate emotions to certain times. I suppose it makes sense, seeing as there's an actual medical condition called SAD, or seasonal affective disorder. We even say things like, "A case of the Mondays" or "Thank God it's Friday".

I know I shouldn't connect emotions to the weather that much, but sometimes it just works out that way. I've been feeling unusually happy for awhile now, and I think it's because the sun has been peeking its head out.

The only downside to yesterday happened when the cold hit. No, not cold weather. I'm sick. Ick. Hot weather+Snot filled dizzy head= Not a good run. Just think 10-20 seconds slower than my usual pace. I'm glad I did it though. Today however is a rest day. No theatre, and it's Friday. Ahh...

I hope the sun is here to stay.

How do environmental elements affect your mood?

Purchases I Need, Yet...

There are two things that I have had on my "to buy" list for quite awhile now:

1. Running Shoes
2. Brake pads for my bike

As you might have guessed, these are pretty important purchases. There is only one reason that I haven't bought these things: I am frugal.

Alright, the shoes is more of a "I haven't had a chance to drive two hours to my regular shoe place and drive two hours back" situation. So it's frugal and lazy. Oh, what a great combination.

The logic of this whole situation is flawed. This is the type of logic of a person who doesn't want insurance "because they'll be careful". Fool, there are unplanned situations that happen in the future! When you get sick without the insurance, it's going to cost a hell of a lot more. Or you can't control what other drivers do.

My shoes are currently right under 600 miles. They say you should get new shoes every 300-500 miles. Ayup.
I'll get new shoes soon, I promise.

Other than that, I've been having a pretty swell day. Positive all around. So there's that.

What have you avoided purchasing that you really need?

Trends and Trading

I love clothing, and I love fashion. I like seeing all of the new trends, yet I never usually dress accordingly. Give me a dress, cardigan, and cool tights and I'm good to go. I've been told I over-dress for the everyday style, but I like my style. I believe it's better to be overdressed than under dressed. Besides, you never know who you'll run into.
I'm getting distracted, but the point is that I usually don't dress for the fashion trends. Recently though, there's one fashion trend that I've adored: Colored pants.

I love the big bold colored pants that I've seen, and almost every pair I see has made me envious. I know that this trend has been going on for quite some time now, but I still see it going strong. Even if the trend dies down soon, I still dig those pants.

On a different subject, when I was in high school, my friends always participated in one activity that I could never get behind. No, not that activity. They would always trade clothes/accessories/etc. This activity wasn't necessarily like the type that you always see in movies though. The clothes were usually something that another person left at their house, or in their car. Finders keepers? Apparently.
I don't know why I never got involved with this practice, but it might have been the fact that I didn't want to lose any of my clothes. I liked my clothes a lot more than any of the clothes of my friends. Might sound a bit mean, but they shopped thrift stores for fun. Not because of no money, just because they thought the hobo pants looked cooler. You might find that under a definition of a hipster (or a stoner). I tend to like Ross a bit better and plaid isn't my thing. Remember the Oregon uniform? Not my thing. Therefore, even if I didn't trade clothes it didn't bother me much.

You might be wondering why I suddenly changed topics on you, but I have my reasons. I may have not traded clothing in high school, but for the first time in my life I got clothes from a party. I did what all of my high school friends did. And they are red pants. Fantastic.
Alright, during normal situations I would not have gone home with a random pair of red pants, but the party that I went to included trading articles of clothing. I came with one pair of pants. I went home with two.

When I'm in my thirties, or even sooner, there's no way I'm going to wear an article of clothing around that I got from a party. Matter of fact, it'll be pretty ridiculous if I go to a party and end up taking clothing in the first place. But for now, when in Rome... I'll do as the Romans do. And end up with some red pants.

In other news, I'm spending less time in my room while in the apartment, and actually spending time in the dining area. I've been fine in the kitchen spending time cooking, but never much in the dining area. I think what has happened is that the smell in that area is bearble now. (When I first moved in, my sister came in for five minutes and wanted to hurl. It was awful.) I mean, I brought the table in! I should be using it! Goodness.
Have you ever traded clothing with someone for a long time/ indefinitely?

Making Decisions

I am a very indecisive person. I don't know how, but I think I've gotten more indecisive as I've gotten older.
You might think that being indecisive means that I don't like planning things out. Obviously, this isn't true as I've talked about the many ways I like to organize my life. I don't know how these two things work together, but they do. It happens. Although I'm indecisive, I'll usually speak up if no one can make up their mind for what to do. "I dunno, what do you want to do?" only gets you so far. I dealt with that crap for far too long in high school.

This indecisiveness comes more with choices than actually taking action. Take restaurants for example. I almost always want to try something new, but I can never decide just what I want. What taste is my tongue craving for the evening? What if I make the wrong decision? Common sense would tell my brain that this is not a life or death situation, but common sense does not exist when it comes to a restaurant menu.

I have gotten many death glares from my sister because of this trait. On the opposite side of the spectrum, my sister is extremely decisive. She knows what she wants. She knows what she likes. And she wants the meal as soon as possible, which doesn't work with my indecisive ass.
I hate to make a waiter wait. It's rude. That's why I always say, "Come to me last." Because I base my choice on what others get. I choose something different, so we can trade tastes. Usually, the people I eat with are on the same sharing page as I am, which is always nice.

The point is if I only get once chance to try something, it takes time for me to make a decision. Because I've got a bad case of the "What ifs?".

This all brings me to a notebook. A notebook? Yes, a notebook.

Remember that little notebook that I write things to do with my life in? Well, I have one. Or I should say had one, because that little sucker got filled up. I needed a new notebook, but what kind to get? The notebook would be with me for awhile, so it has to be just right.
You know how I talked about indecisiveness? I went to the bookstore at least five times comparing different notebooks. The size, the writing space, the prices, the looks... Ridiculous, I know. However in the end I got my notebook and it's quite lovely.

Yup. It looks a bit yellow because of the light, but it's a nice shade of blue. May I take on many adventures.

Are you indecisive or very decisive?

It's All in the Equations

As someone who plans on studying journalism, I think it's safe to say that I've never been a numbers person.
Simple calculations in my head? No problem I will do long division in my head, multiply the hell out of double digits, and if you give me a second I can calculate that tip. I may be able to do that, although I usually end up being lazy and just taking out my phone for a calculator. However, when it comes to equations and calculations that mean something? Please. No.
The trouble is more with science than math really. Memorizing what chemicals react with what always sent my brain into a tizzy. I digress.

The point is you'll never hear me talking about math or things in the math family with a sense of security. No, I will always be talking about it in a worried tone of voice, or teary.
Probably one of the smartest moves I've ever mad has been taking my math requirement in a community college when I was still in high school. I haven't had to do math since junior year of high school, and I'm not looking to put it back into my life.
The closest thing I have taken to math in recent times? Economics.

I don't hate math, economics, or science. I just have a hard time with them. I can't glance at an equation and think, "Oh, this is this." I have to spend time thinking about it. A lot of time.

This comes into play with my economics homework I've been getting. The assignments are all online, and you get two chances to answer them correctly. If you get it wrong the first time, it might help you out and give you some hints. If you get it wrong twice... no points for you.

Here's my process of working on economics homework:

• Log onto website, click homework.
• Read first question.
• Don't know the answer to first question, read rest of questions searching for key words that I might remember.
• Find a question to answer. Flip through notes, trying to find the exact answer.
• Find some information, but doesn't tell me what I need to know specifically.
• Look up question online.
• Compare notes online to notes in notebook, trying to smash together a coherent answer. Click answer.
• Get first attempt wrong. Have a mild breakdown, exclaiming how I'm going to fail economics because of this one question.
• Re-read everything that I can possibly find for the answer. Even when 99% sure of the right answer, hesitate to answer it for at least twenty minutes.
• Finally click check answer again.
• Get question right. Weakly move onto the next one. Repeat nineteen times.

As you probably got from that, it takes me a long time to get my economics homework done. A lack of confidence in my economic skills is a big part of it, but whatever.
This is my last term of economics. I have three more weeks. Bring it.
Despite having difficulties with math, I've somehow successfully tutored someone in geometry in order to pass a test. Have no idea how that happened. Perhaps I'm a lot better than I think I am, it just takes me a lot of work to get there?
...Nah.

How are you with math or science? Is it difficult, or simply boring in your opinion? (Or is it fun and easy?)

Running Free

Let me start this off with sports make people into idiots. Bold statement, perhaps? Sure. I still fully believe it though. I'm not saying that there can't be smart athletes, oh no. However, when participating in a sport, your brain can go dumb while in the process. I'm just starting this post off with that thought.

As I've mentioned before, spring is here in Oregon. I'm not sure if the rest of the state has agreed with this statement, but once you've had three different types of weather in ten minutes, I think spring has officially begun in Oregon.

With that thought, I wasn't sure what weather to expect for my run today. The sky in the morning has said rain was heading in for the afternoon. Sure, it wasn't said by the forecaster, but you can't really trust the news report. That was rain sky.

Or so I thought.

Y'see, because of a change in the scheduling for the day, I ended up having quite a bit of time to run during. I definitely pulled a college kid and napped. As I awoke from my nap, I decided it was time to get my rear into gear. I had a long sleeve shirt on with running capris. I was ready for "just in case" rain. Imagine my surprise to see the sun shining like a June day.

As the run went on, I started to get really hot. It was certainly slowing me down, that's for sure.
Remember how I said sports make you stupid? Well, here's where my stupid moment went down.

I exposed myself to the world.

Alright, I didn't really expose myself, I simply took off my shirt and ran in sports bra only. For me thought? That's like exposing myself.

Now I'm not toned. I currently don't weigh more than usual, but I know that it's all fat and no muscle right now. I don't have that perfect body, but you know what? I think I'm allowed to run in a sports bra.

This situation actually reminded me of a funny occurrence a long time ago. I was driving with my cousin when I heard her exclaim, "EW! That old guy is so creepy!" She was talking about an old guy without his shirt on going on a run. He wasn't the most pleasant thing to look at, but at least he was running. He was keeping his body healthy, but he couldn't really help the extra skin that was there due to age. At the time, I too decided it was gross. But now I think, "Hey! It's hot out. I'd like to be as cool as possible while running.

Which brings me back to today. This isn't a normal occurrence, nor is it going to become one in the future. Would I have taken my shirt off to run normally? No. But my caveman mind kicked in, saying "Hannah HOT!" so stupidly I listened to it. I just happened to be over-heated during my run today, and it was too much. I suppose it's nicer when the super fit get hot too, but you know what? We all deserve to be able to adapt to the heat.

Once I finished running, I challenged myself to walk home shirtless still. You can bet your ass I was sucking my gut in the entire time, but it was all about the confidence I portrayed. Imagine that.


Welp, that certain was an interesting experience for the day. Remember: Never trust Orgeon weather.

How do you feel about running shirtless?

The Purpose of Blogging

We've had three different types of weather in ten minutes. Folks, it looks like it's officially springtime in Oregon.

The other day, I was thinking about blogging. Specifically, why I blog.

Wait.

Why DO I blog?

Hmm. Let's start at the beginning of my blogging journey.
When I started this blog, it was to follow my adventures of being a college student. Man, if only I had signed up to be one of Seventeen's freshman fifteen bloggers when I had the chance! Aw well. Starting the blog, I had a few main goals: 1. Get a Degree 2. Not Gain the Dreaded Freshmen Fifteen 3. Study Abroad 4. Stay out of Debt 5. Get Good Grades 6. Make Friends. The last goal was to blog everyday.

Originally I think I had thoughts of: "Maybe this will get me somewhere. Maybe I'll get a lot of readers. Maybe this will be something I could show to show my writing skills."
But then I didn't get many readers. It didn't help me get to anything bigger. Plus, as I mentioned before, I wouldn't dare show this blog to anyone for a job.

At the same time, the blog was supposed to be a place to throw my thoughts out. Blogs tend to be kind of like online journals. A fine and dandy idea at first, but then... the thoughts felt forced. Like I had to write them. For who? My mom, sister, and a few other people who have a million other blog possibilities?

Soon I told myself that I didn't need to blog everyday. Why write dribble if it's not worth any one's time (including my own)? At least that's what I told myself. Yet, I still felt obligated to write everyday.

Why is that? Why do I feel like it's somehow my JOB to write about what I'm thinking about every day? Is it because of consistency? Or maybe it's because there are so many other bloggers that write everyday. That gave me a funny thought though: Y'see, some of my favorite bloggers don't write everyday. (Don't get me wrong, I like plenty of bloggers that do) For the bloggers that don't write everyday, I get so excited when I see one of their posts in my blogroll. It's like a treat! Now, I'm not sure if my blog would ever be like that, but my point is that interesting blogging doesn't have to be an everyday thing. Especially if you have nothing to say everyday.

I had one last reason to blog, and that's for fun. However, that brings me back to the commitment side of it. After awhile, blogging sometimes isn't fun. Just forced.

I know that I'll probably stop blogging here when I'm done with college. It's not a for sure thing, but I'm pretty sure I'll stop. For now, I'll keep blogging until I reach my college goals. Doesn't mean I'll blog everyday though. If I have nothing to write, I simply won't write. Even if I have to force myself not to. (Sounds weird, but true.)

Perhaps a new chapter in my blogging ventures has occurred? Well, we'll see.

Other than that, my registration for classes was today. Registering for classes sucks. I have a really weird schedule, and I'm not sure how it's going to work with my college plans. Crap. I'm hoping things will get fixed up.

Why do you blog?