It's All About Perception

Feelin' pretty fresh right now. Just sayin'. Then again, I did just take a shower.

Yeah, still need to work on those introductory sentences. Anywho, hello to y'all out there who happen to be reading. Are you ready for this week? We've already finished Monday, so we're that much closer to another weekend. Oh yes.
I have something specific on my mind for today's post, but first a few daily thoughts:

• Twitter certainly is a good way to get informed as I now know. Today's news? The author of the Berenstain Bears books died today. Those books were a part of my childhood! How sad.
• I agree Kat with wanting Viola Davis to win. Yes, Meryl Streep is a delight actress, but I still would have rather Viola took that win. Nothing you can do.
• Oregon has decided it didn't get winter-y enough earlier, so it's been making up for it. Saturday and Sunday it snowed, and today it was pretty cold. Sure it hasn't gotten Midwest cold, but that's why I would never be able to live in the Midwest.

For the last few days, I've been thinking a lot about perception. It all started a few days ago. I felt big and icky. As I was changing, I looked at myself from the side and thought, "Geez, I've gotten fat."
A millisecond later my brain slapped my subconcious silly.
Fact: I am no where near fat, or what would be considered overweight. My BMI is in the normal range, and I have a healthy body size. Yet, I was displeased with how I looked at that moment. This got me to thinking about women losing weight, or women who just have different body types. What I see as "looking big" could be "I've never looked better!" to someone else. How we perceive this is crazy.

I've been think about writing about this for awhile now, but today seemed like the perfect day to write about it. Mainly because of this video, starting at 4:40 (don't mind the Kate Upton. He's a dude, he talks about dude stuff sometimes.)-

If you don't watch it, the story is about studies on body image. Men see themselves as skinner than they are, but women perceive themselves as fatter. Okay, that's not that surprising. What's terrifying is because of this mindset that has been drilled into our skulls, the rest of the world perceives us as fatter too. Our insecurities about our bodies have made the other gender think, "Oh, she IS that big", when really she's not.

That sucks. Girls, what made us imagine ourselves as so much bigger than we actually are? Don't answer that, there are too many reasons. All I know is that I don't like it.

I'll try to look at myself more positively. Because hey, however I perceive myself is going to affect how others perceive me and I quite like being perceived as looking good. We're not even going to get into beauty here. That's a whole other deal.

That's all from me. I need to put clothes away... she said for the millionth time. Oh dear.

What are your thoughts on body image?

Icky Weather and Odd Room Mate Habits

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Turn to the Cold

Oregon has gotten the memo that it's fall. This is something that isn't a great thing to us Oregonians. We tend to spaz when we finally get sun, and when it disappears... we freak out.

One of the things that we always try to avoid when the weather gets cold again is going into hibernation mode. As much as I hoped to avoid it, today the hibernation sucked me in.

I moved slowly. I sat next to the heater. I looked at things that I needed to pack, and huddled into the couch once more.

This? This needs to stop. I'm sure that I'll be less hibernate-y once school starts, but doesn't it feel weird when it's cold again? Like we should go like the bears and rumble into caves? Why is that?

All I know is that if the patterns continue, I will become a blob encased in an over sized sweatshirt. Ridiculous.

Welp, apparently the cold weather is affecting the way I write as well. Therefore, I'm signing off for the night.

How does the colder weather affect you?

Spring Shows its Face

Well, the end of the month is here.

March? Didn't fall term start yesterday? Wasn't it getting dark at 5:00 pm last week?

I'm beginning to feel the vibes of summer in the first week of the term. That's not a good thing. With it being so bright out until about eight, I keep on thinking I have a lot more time to do things. Not the case.

Everyone told me that winter term is the hardest, but I'm starting to think otherwise...

Speaking of the weather, Spring simply decided that it would sneak up on me. I was not expecting it to go up to 60 degrees when I donned a long sleeved shirt for my run.

The camera on my phone works again, hooray!

In reality, I love this warm weather. The beautiful days seems to put everyone in a good mood, including me.

Yet I look upon the sunshine-y days with a weary eye, because I know what Oregon is up to. Sure, it'll show us a few days of gorgeous sun. Next thing you know, BAM! The weather will start doing this:

2:00- Sunny skies, not a cloud in sight.
2:05- Pouring down rain.
2:10- A tad overcast, but even warmer than before.
2:15- HAIL. A lot of it.
2:20- Bright sunny skies again.

I know how Oregon works. I've seen this happen many a time, cancelling some tennis matches in the process. I'm onto you.

Has spring sprung for you? Or are you still experiencing chilly temperatures?

State Pride

Two of the stereotypes that America is known for are quite opposite. We’re known for either overly patriotic or no wanting to have anything to do with America and the terrible damage it has done to the world. The latter includes many people who simply want to move to Canada as stated in Stuff White People Like. Either way, The United States is pretty much well known for its strong views on either side of the spectrum of country love. When I think about the way some Americans are viewed as “overly love-y” of the country, I start to relate it to myself. Only my obsessive love isn’t with the U.S.A., it’s with Oregon.

When approaching an Oregonian, don’t be surprised about their devotion to the state. If you’re not one of them, their first reaction might be something along the lines of an interesting Oregon fact. Such as:

• Did you know Oregon is the only state flag that has two sides? One side has a beaver on it!
• Oh yeah, Oregon is the only state with a state nut? It’s the hazelnut.
• Did you know that (The Shining, The Goonies) was filmed in Oregon?

Next, they’ll begin to tell you all of the great things about Oregon, complaining about how the rest of the country doesn’t understand how pretty awesome it is. It’s so green, it’s very clean… we recycle all of the time. Yes, you will be notified of how much we recycle.

There’s one point where Oregonians tend to differ though, and that’s when it comes to taking themselves seriously. Many of the Oregonians can’t see how ridiculous they appear to the rest of the world by saying no one can touch Oregon in awesomenest.

Then there are the people who have been able to pass that point and realize Oregon isn’t perfect. No duh no state is perfect! I may love Oregon, but I know that I would love to live somewhere sunny sometimes during rainy Oregon days.

So be warned! If you ever take a trip into Oregon, you’ll discover that we Oregonians have a slight obsession with our state. I don’t mind. Why do you think I live in Oregon?

P.S. : Oregon is not that hard to say. You say it like an organ in your body. Not OrYgun, not OrAgan. The only time you’ll see Oregonians saying it differently is when they’re making fun of other saying the name wrong, or being sarcastic.

P.P.S: This is completely true about Portland:

Also, plaid seems to be the uniform of Oregon. Don’t ask me why.

Are you overly prideful about your state? What are some fun facts about it?

Disappearing Days and Odd Running Habits

It's another one of those days that seemed to simply dissipate into thin air.

Have you ever had those days where you felt like you were busy all day, yet still feel like you didn't get anything done? That's exactly how today felt.

I suppose I did study for my Spanish exam tomorrow... yet when you have no physical work to show for it, somehow it feels like less.

Today I went for a run, and I'd just like to state that Oregon is back to its rainy self. Seriously.
When I started running, there was no rain. Alas, as I ran back home it was pouring.

If you were to ever watch me running, it would be an extremely odd sight. The odd thing is not my form, because I run in a pretty standard form. It's what I do while I run that is just peculiar.
When I run on the treadmill, you can see me lip syncing to whatever song that is playing on the trusty ipod. I used to be self conscious of it, but now I really don't care.
As for outside, I tend to look like I'm delivering something. I've ran with DVDs in my hand, books, kettle corn... Today I think topped all of my past running looks. If you were to see me running today, you would have seen a girl soaked to the bone carrying a discount bag of dark chocolate kisses and talking on the phone. That's just how I roll.

Once again I ask, where has this day gone? That's life.

What odd things have you done while exercising?

Running Adventures Out of the Ordinary

Right now, I'm using the blogger app on my phone, and I am loving it! Yes, I probably could wait to type it on my computer, but I just downloaded it yesterday and just wanted to try it out.
Before I start sounding more like an advertisement, let's talk about other things.
Now that I'm not officially training for any running event, my runs have become less structured. When training, I would run specific routes since I had to get that certain mileage, but now it doesn't matter as much. With that, my run today was an adventure! I decided to explore the suburban area of the town and beyond. What I discovered was that the farther you live away from main street, the nicer your house looks. I ended up seeing some pretty nice homes. Along with that, the houses were all different! Houses ranged from having a Victorian feel to looking like homes you would see in a sunny state like Arizona.
My run even led me into the country. It was just a great run with everything: hills, twists and turns, country stretches... Fantastic.
Other events for the day included finishing an application for a job (that's truly a feat for me), and swimming around for my little cousin's 3rd birthday.
Bah... Where did all of this rain come from? Oh right, Oregon. Have a lovely evening!

For all of you runners out there: Is your running more structured or more wherever the road takes you?

Game Day and Taking Yourself Too Seriously

It's game day everyone! Booyah!

I'd like to talk about something that has occured twice in the past 24 hours, and it's something that is a bit irksome.

Seeing as it is game day, there are many out there that are getting excited, wearing duck gear, posting statuses, all those sort of things. Alas, there is always that one person who has to see the bad side of it. This is where one of my hall mates comes in. As scanning updates on Facebook as teenagers do, I stumbled across a status from said hallmate bitching about how ridiculous everyone is for cheering on the ducks because it's all about politics and money anyways. Let me stop you right there. This is something that irks me like none other, and I just don't know why. When it comes to football and things like that, I don't think about the politics of it all. I think of it as a fun thing to watch. I think of it as a team from my home state and where my sister and dad received schooling from. Quite honestly, a single thought passes through your mind:
"Dude, it's football. Chill the eff out and have some fun."

Then later she posted another status saying how duck fans need to chill out and get over themselves, blah blah blah. Um, saying things like that is kind of acting the same way. Psh.

Not everything needs to be analyzed. Some things are there to just enjoy. Not every occasion needs a thesis statement, people.

I mentioned that this has happened twice, and the other time happened last night. As I mentioned yesterday I watched some stand up comedy with some other hallmates. It was fun, but one of the hall mates had to analyze EVERY joke. It's like she needed a reasoning to why the jokes were humorous.
"Oh, I can understand why that would be funny because..."
Seriously. It's stand up comedy. Just laugh with it, don't give reasons why to laugh with it.



Besides, it's Gabriel Iglesias. Just laugh at his awesome sound effects man.

 So to end my little rant for the day, I say this: Sometimes things don't need excessive though. Relax. Have fun. Chill.

The game is starting soon! Yes!
Who are you rooting for in the BCS game tonight?

Starting something new in more ways than one

It's always tough to start something new. Not knowing where to start is always the hardest part, when you can't decide what sounds good, and what sounds completely stupid. That brings us here.

That right there was a sad attempt at an introduction for my blog here. Hey, my name is Hannah and this is my newly created blog. A little information that you'll need to know about me is:

• I am an Oregonian girl who has gone to school with the same people for thirteen years.
• I am about to start my first year of college at Western Oregon University.
• I'm ready for something new.

I'm creating this blog around the theme of College life, but I don't want it to be just a blog about college. I will write about my life, and there will be a slight journal element to it. However! I am going to write about what I learn while in school, little facts that I think are useful, and other little college based info.
There are a few things that I hope to accomplish while in college. These things are:

• Get a degree (That's kind of a duh one, but it had to be said.)
• Not gain the dreaded Freshman Fifteen.
• Travel abroad during my Junior year of college
• Stay out of debt
• Keep my grades up
• Make friends
• Post a blog entry everyday

Will all of these things happen exactly how I plan them? I have no idea! No one knows what the future holds, and I am no exception to that rule. These are just things that I just want to happen.

1.Get a degree
This may seem pretty obvious since I am going to college, but I personally think it goes a bit deeper than that. Many people go to college and never finish. Right now, I'm not even sure what my major will be. At the moment I'm planning to have a double major in English and Spanish but I don't know for sure.

2. Not gain the dreaded Freshman Fifteen
People worry about weight all the time in our world today. Whether it's someone being aneorexic or growing obesity rates, we are always thinking about the size someone is. I've seen the rollercoaster of emotion from a scale going up and down, but not necessarily for me. I've seen how stressful changing sizes can be which is why I want to try to maintain my weight. I will try to make good choices and eat right. I also don't believe the freshmen fifteen is gained solely in the freshmen year. I think that it can happen at anytime, so this is more of a life rule: Try to maintain myself through good eating and excersize.

3. Travel abroad during my Junior year of college
I really hope I can do this, but I know I have to do some things to try and get there. I need to make sure to keep my grades up and save money. Sounds easy on paper, but life is funny. I would like to travel to Great Britain or Madrid. (I'm leaning more towards the U.K.)

4. Stay out of debt
Again, sounds nice on paper. Alas, I don't know what will happen even in one month. The best way to go about it is to spend wisely and budget as well as I possibly can.

5. Keep my grades up
I'm going to college only for an education, right? HA! It's not just about the classes and lectures, it's about a new step in your life. In high school my grades were average, and I've realized that I need to focus. This doesn't mean I plan on being a shut in who only studies though. Which brings us to...

6. Make friends
I've gone to school with the same people from K through 12. My friends are dear to me, but as we've all gotten older I've discovered that we have begun to drift apart. I have very different interests then my friends, and that's all I really have to say about it right now. I want to see what kinds of people are out in the "real" world.

7. Post a blog entry everyday
I'm going to start up this little habit on my unofficial first day of college, this Sunday. This is something I WANT to happen, but I don't know how that will work. For instance, what if I don't have internet? I can try for now. Even if it's a little post, it'll be something. I won't make the rest of my posts as long as this one either.

These are things that I hope my blog will help me follow. It's scary trying something new, but it's always better to try then spend your whole life wondering "What if?"

The last thing that I would like to mention in this daunting blog post is the name of this blog. For about a week, I was trying to think of a clever name. This is not an easy task for me. I am terrible at thinking of names. I tested out different song titles that I thought sounded witty that apparently others thought were witty as well, seeing as they were unavaliable. Finally this evening the perfect name clicked in my brain. I Read It In A Book Somewhere. This is basically my way of life. I am always trying to give wise information that I read in magazine articles, books, whatever I find. "I read in a magazine that you should eat near a window in the morning so your body reacts to the natural light of day" or "In my 'How to study for college book' it says you should spend 40 hours as a student".  See what I mean? It may sound silly to you, but it feels kind of special to me.

I hope that all of you who happen to read my blog enjoy it. Don't worry, this is going to be my longest post! (I think.) Now it's time for me to go to bed, even though they say you shouldn't go to bed right after using the computer. (See what I mean?) I'll see you all on Sunday!