Not What I'm Supposed to Be Doing

I should be tracking down people through fantastic web-stalking techniques (www.whitepages.com/) for a petition that was sent in about mining. I am from West Virginia. If you don't know anything about WV, then I shall enlighten you.

1. We do lots of coal mining. It is one of our main sources of income. Mountain top removal is one of the techniques.
2. We are called the Mountain State. (Irony, maybe?)
3. We are completely walled in on all sides by the Appalachian Mts. I tell you, nothing comes in and hardly anything leaves. (Except me.)
4. We don't worry about anything. (Except the end of mining, which for many, means Armageddon.)
5. Damn, we like Mountaineer Football.
6. The population is largely older people who don't like change.
7. BRAIN DRAIN.
8. We are one of the poorest states in the nation.

For the record, I would like to state that I love WV. It is a good place full of friendly people who, for the most part, work hard to make ends meet. Citizens of WV sorta fill a stereotype of un-informed people with lots of opinions. Mostly, the opinion that things should not change. Somewhere, I know there is another generation screaming to be heard, but they are being drowned out by the rest of WV, that is, the older generation.

I know I sound unfair, but I'm one of the younger generation that wants that change. Heck, I voted for Obama. Working in the Congressman's office, I deal with a lot of constituent letters. Right now, we have two main issues. Health care and coal.

Health care: I get a lot of letters that mostly say no to healthcare. I understand this, I wonder myself if it will help or if it will hinder. I'm willing to try it, I think, but I'm also not using my health care at the moment. (Thank the Lord I'm healthy at this point in my life.) But lots of people have just heard rumors and are going off those as if they are truth. Such as: Death panels for the elderly, everyone will HAVE to have the gov.'s plan and Obama is the devil. Cool, neh?
These letters also complain a lot about all the illegal aliens that we have in the country and how the new health care plan will provide health care for them at the cost of legal tax-payers. (It does not, I've looked at it.)
I will post more on the health care plan as I research it. Which I am going to, as I have now blogged about it.

COAL: It's hard to be from WV and not know someone who is/was a miner. My best friend's dad, who is like a father to me, is a coal miner. I don't want anyone to loose their jobs. I would, however, like to find an alternate energy source and shift coal miners into those positions. Perhaps they feel that they are not able to learn new things and that causes people to freak out.
So, here is the current situation in the WV: The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing several permits for mines across the state. I don't know if this is true or if this is a fabrication by newspapers, but it appears that the EPA is taking their good sweet time reviewing these permits. Miners, understandably, are upset about this. They are protesting. They are calling for the resignation of Congressman Rahall because he says the EPA is just doing it's job. They are crying out in anger that coal is what keeps WV afloat. Coal will always be a part of WV! etc., etc.
Yanno, until we run out.
Therefore, I have had many many many letters/newspaper articles about coal. I hate it when some journalists write things like "...the EPA claims that it has no covert plans to destroy coal mining." Well, the populace most assuredly thinks so now! Do you get what I mean? It's just stirring up trouble!

This is not to say that I believe that people shouldn't pay attention and question everything and express their concerns. This is our freedom, this is our right.

However, some people don't seem to have checked into anything and are just screaming. It's rather annoying. Perhaps I'm just tired of reading about it. You must be too.

Some other sites with info/views to Coal Issues:
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo - Coal Tattoo Blog
http://www.register-herald.com/archivesearch/local_story_297194021.html
http://www.register-herald.com/archivesearch/local_story_288225509.html
http://www.register-herald.com/archivesearch/local_story_286220456.html

Fascinating. Thoughts?

Fruit Flies!

I have about a billion fruit flies in my home and I have no idea where they are coming from. Little buggers are always trying for the eyes! Blast it!

In other news, I have received no word back from any of the places I have applied too, but I'm not ready to give up yet! Alright, I'm a little ready to give up, but I won't! Surely something will come around soon. Once I get a job, I'm going to get a puppy and join a gym. Matt will not be able to stop the puppy thing. I'm going to the pound and I'm going to bring it home and go, "Oh, look what I found!"
I should not blog of these things, he will know my evil plans. But I want a puppy.

It was fantastic rain/mist today and I worked outside the ENTIRE time. Except for the 20 minutes where I strayed inside to see if I could help with the decorating that is happening in there. Yes, the Garden Center I work for is already getting their stuff out for Christmas. Holy crap, I don't even know what I'm going to be for Halloween.

I don't think I'm going to dress up, actually. Matt's dad is coming down for the weekend and I thought it would be fun to pass out candy. Maybe we can watch a scary movie and I can then cry myself to sleep every night. (I can't do horror movies. I wind up waking up in the middle of the night in some sort of cardiac clench.) Ha, like the movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". Oh, I was messed up after that. Overactive imagination.

I made cake yesterday. It was awesome.

I'm trying to convince myself that running is a fun activity again and get back into moving faster than I usually do. I hate running outside though. Luckily, my good friend Liz, who I just realized lives in the same area I do, HAHA, lives in a place that has a treadmill. We are going to run. Be all athletic and such. Right.

Other than that, I just need to get my stuff together for grad school. Hopefully, I'll be closer to my goals after that, whatever they happen to be. :) Fingers crossed for a job to pop up! I shall continue the hunt!

Tea Update

I am currently sipping on the Green Jasmine Tea.

Diagnosis: Alright. Definitely better with honey, as all things are, but good, overall.

I think we could mark this tea as a success. I will drink it. I still like my orange one a bit better though...

Stuff I Like

Another fun list of things I like:

1. Japanese pop. It's particularly fun. I do not know what they are saying, but I like it. Especially Arashi, Kanjani8, NEWS, Kattun.
2. Sugar. I'm addicted to sweet things. Mostly Ice Cream. YUM.
3. Plants. I have quite a few in my house (I'll post some pictures later) although I forget to water them a lot.
4. Video games. Mostly I'm into RPG's, I don't like shooters.
5. Baking. Leads back to my sugar addiction.
6. TV shows on DVD. Law & Order: SVU, House, Scrubs, Heroes, Battle Star Galatica
7. Hoodies.
8. Surfing the web.
9. Cartoons. Teen Titans rock.
10. Disney Movies.
11. Musicals.
12. Sushi. I can't do a whole bunch of raw fish meat, but I like a little and lots of rice and veggies rolled in DELICIOUS seaweed.
13. Candles. Why are they so expensive?
14. Getting emails.
15. Working out, but not running. Also, I happen to prefer going to the gym. This means I actually don't work out a whole lot. :)
16. Blankets.
17. Lip stuff. Examples: chapstick, lip gloss, lipstick.
18. Hanging out with my husband. (That's really number one, but I like to make him sweat.)


I don't really like coffee. I do like some of the more sugared stuff, like mochas, and I love the smell of coffee brewing, but I don't like to drink it. I figure everyone should have some sort of morning drink, so I'm thinking about trying to get addicted to tea. I like one tea, however. I bought some more tea that I'm going to try out. The one tea I like is called "Constant Comment". It's flavored with "rind of oranges and sweet spice". Hah.
I bought two other teas from the brand Twinings. One is a green tea, Jasmine Green Tea. The other one is called China Oolong Tea. I'll let you know how it goes, once I make some.

True story #2:
My husband comes to bed the other night after he went to the bathroom downstairs. He says to me, as he gets under the covers, "I broke the toilet."
Me: "How did you break the toilet?"
Husband: "I don't want to tell you."
I take a moment to sort of stare at him, as well as make a few connections about the length of his stay in the bathroom.
Me: "Did you poop?"
Husband: "Yes. I broke the toilet with my poop."

I love him. He's so funny. Life lesson for here: Poop more often. Makes it smaller and less likely to break the toilet.

True Story

Seriously, I've been wearing glasses since the second grade. Around the time I got to high school, I started wearing contacts. (And none of that colored shit, they're clear.) So, here I am, 25 years of age, and as one would expect, my eyesight has not improved. It has worsened.

However.

I sat up in bed the other night, for some reason or another, who knows, and I could read the clock across the room. For one brief moment, I experienced great joy. I could see! My eyesight had miraculously been cured from it's horrible foggy-ness to great clarity!

Then I remembered that I had forgotten to remove my contacts before I went to bed. Dejection.

True story. I blame it on the sugar.
That is a super short story with a super short lesson: Take your contacts out, moron.

Rainy day hates and driving

I've decided to list a few things I don't like. Tomorrow I'll probably do some things I like a lot.

1. Mushrooms. It's a texture thing.
2. Dirty dishes. I never want to do them.
3. Fighting with anyone. It makes me feel horrible for days.
4. The hours at my Garden Center job.
5. Lack of interest people have in hiring me to a real job.
6. Taking tests. They are lame.
7. Spiders. Ick.
8. When my hands get all dry and papery.
9. When I accidentally waste all my time doing stupid stuff when I should be doing...something.
10. Reality TV
11. MATHS.
12. Repeatedly missing someone on the phone.
13. Forgetting my umbrella on a rainy day.
14. The song: "UMBRELLA".
15. Hair in the bathtub.

I think that's enough things for now. I'm sure there will be more.

Today, while driving to target, I took time to marvel at what a diverse place I live in. It's cool, because there are languages to hear, cultures in action to witness, and waaaaay better selection on foods. It's awesome.

The only thing that is not awesome are the drivers. I don't want to sound like a racist or like I drive perfectly every day (usually only on days that end in 'y')... It seems to me, many Americans that were not born in the states do not have the greatest of driving skills. I've seen these Americans pull out into heavy traffic without blinkers and/or looking, I've seen them change lanes on top of someone else. The lack of concern these Americans show for their person and cars is somewhat alarming. Also frustrating when I want to get somewhere and I have to keep a finger on the horn, just in case.

The Asians are the worst. (Yes, I know, going to hell.)

Argh Template!

I had a bit of a brain fart as I was messing around with the blogger format thingy here, trying to spruce up the old page, make it nice, whatever. I went to Pyzam. I apologize in advance, I forgot they were totally lame and subject to making you loose your mind when you looked at them.

Briefly, I had something on here that looked sorta cool, however, it had that ad at the top that makes you want to shoot yourself. THIS IS NOT MYSPACE. NOT. So I removed it. Anyone have any good ideas for blog stuff? How to make it nice and things of that nature? Comments and suggestions appreciated.

How Things Change

I find it strange how quickly things will change. Wednesday, I was happy as the proverbial clam. I received a pair of rain boots from my Grandparents, a late birthday present. I called my Grandmother to thank her. She acted strange on the phone and I asked her what was wrong. She told me that she would have my father call me later. I knew then that something was wrong with my Grandfather, who hadn't been truly well in some time.

As it turns out, I called my Grandmother minutes after my Grandpa passed away. To thank her for boots. He went very quickly. He'd briefly been at the hospital in the morning, with my Grandma and Dad. Grandma said that they hadn't been home for very long when he passed. I am grateful that it was short. It would have been harder on my Grandma if he had been stuck, waiting for something to happen.

I went home on Friday (thus my absence from the blogging world) and the funeral was on Saturday, along with the visitation beforehand. I spoke a few words about my Grandpa at the funeral and managed to get through it fairly well. I was really glad to be there for my Grandma. It is going to be most rough on her. They were married for 58 years. I hope I can pull that off one day.

My dad is part of the volunteer fire department in the town where they all live. The other firemen, in support for my dad and grandmother, decided that Grandpa needed two fire engines to escort us to the cemetery, and two more engines to have traffic stopped on Main Street.

Two engines held the flag aloft while another two engines provided us with an escort to the cemetery.

Overall, I rate it as an 8 out of 10 on the bizarre scale. I have not had to deal with someone dying (that I have been rather close to) in my entire 24 years. It's been strange.

So, the life lesson for this post goes as such (and is a little more serious): Try not to take things for granted. Sometimes things change faster than you thought they could. Also, when you call someone, you should start a conversation out with "How are things?" or "How are you?" instead of, "Thanks for the boots!" in case someone has just passed away.

I suspect my next post will be more cheerful. Fingers crossed for that, cheers.

Birthdays, Marriage, and other such stuff

Monday was my birthday. Also my husband's birthday. I turned 24 and he turned 23. I find it strangely irritating that he calls me old. ME?! OLD?! NEVER. I imagine I will be like this until the day I die, that is, childish. But in a mature way, of course. Of course.



Monday was also my one month mark for being married. Everyone has asked, "So what does it feel like to be married?" I feel I'm disappointing them when I answer, "Eh, it's about the same as dating. I just have a new title." I take this position because I don't want to forget that marriage is not something to become complacent with. I still have to try, which is what dating is. Does anyone get where I am going here?



Life lesson for today: Do not stand around looking at someone while you taste your mocha. It makes you look like a creeper.

Story behind life lesson: I arrived early to work today for my unpaid internship. I feel I must stress the unpaid part. I went into the coffee shop they have in one of the buildings I walk through to get to the Congressman's office. I ordered a mocha. I recieved the mocha, although it had the name "Nancy" written on the side, which made me fear it was not my mocha, as my name is not Nancy. I turn to the girls behind me, "Are either of you Nancy?" "No." "That must be me then."

So, here I am, standing just outside the door to the coffee shop and gingerly tasting the "Nancy" labeled cup, fearing it is not mocha, and along comes a girl that works in the same office I do. I however, am staring at her, much like a creeper, because I'm checking the mocha for real mocha-ness. My mind was running along these lines, "God Lord, I hope this is mine and I haven't just taken Nancy's cup and there's Jessica and I am staring. Great." Her respsonse: "Holy crap you scared me. What are you doing here?"

Life lesson learned. Take heed children, you don't want to be that kid. I have written her a "Sorry for being such a creeper" post-it and stuck it on her cubicle. Repentance is key.



I've also started reading a very fun blog of note by a very funny lady who calls herself Extranjera. I highly recommend her and hope she stops by my blog and offers some sort of comment on how to be a better bloggers, as I have two followers. Both people who know me in real life, so I feel they do not count.



Hoping to get a new job. The garden center is not all that its cracked up to be. Do whatever it is that you do to wish luck upon a person so that I may get this position. I REALLY want it. (Just don't kill animals. That upsets me.)

OH WHY BLOG

I ask that question of the blog because I thought it was supposed to be easy to blog. I want to blog. I aspire to be a blog of note. I aspire to be read, for my thoughts to be amusing, for my lessons to be fascinating. So far, they are not and I have not blogged enough. I have hardly blogged at all!

I must remedy this. Starting tomorrow, when I am not tired from being the birthday girl. :)

Blistering Job Searches

Woops, haven't been on here in about FOREVER. Ah well, the best I can say is this: I made a trip across the United States with my best friend Tom, I flew home from this trip on the fourth of July. I worked at my internship for about another two weeks and then I packed up my things and moved with my fiance to Virginia, roughly twenty to thirty minutes from the nations capitol.

Things I have been doing since then:

1. Looking for jobs
2. Cooking things
3. Looking for jobs
4. Visiting the grad school I want to attend
5. Looking for jobs
6. Cleaning things

As you can see, my life has just been crammed full. O.o Chyeah, right. In preparation for applying to graduate school, I've gotten in touch with one of my old professors, ordered a GRE study book, and emailed my old roommate, now a graduate student, begging for advice about a statement of purpose. I like to start these things early, you know, and really get my freaking out time in before that window slips by. Ha ha.

I do have a job now! I'm going to be working in a garden center that is just down the road from my home, but it's a job and it's with flowers, so that's fun. It will also still give me time to study for the GRE and spend time with Matt. (Which is sorta important...) I start that tomorrow, so I'll let you know how that goes. I also had an interview today for an internship with the delegate from the district that I used to live in from WV. The internship is unpaid (which is so lame I can't stand it) but also looks like it would be a good opportunity, so I'll give it a try. HUZZAH JOBS.

Dunno if I've mentioned it before, but my brother was arrested in May and has been in jail waiting for his trail since then. I think things should get rolling soon on it but, the Putnam County Court house has not kept me well informed of the proccedings. If Ryan decides to plead guilty, I think things will happen rapidly from there and I hope he will go to the Anthony Center, which would be good. If he pleads not guilty, I have to go home to stand trail against my brother. Fantastic. I'm hoping for the guilty plea, frankly.

I have huge blisters on my feet from the shoes I wore today. I have never seen such monsters. I must charge up my camera batteries and post disgusting pictures of them. :)
Cheers all.
In the next update: Wedding things!

Tripping over my Music

As you can tell, I’m sure, I didn’t bother to continue the Navigator’s log after Day 1, mostly because I was too TIRED to do something like that every night. Plus, I was never sure when I was going to have computer use. You can check Tominda’s blog for a funny rendition of our trip. (www.whiskeypetals.blogspot.com/)

I thought the trip was pretty cool except for a few small things, like Tom’s car not wanting to work. Other than that, the drive was easy, the weather was good, and at the end I got to see my family. I enjoyed walking around Seattle and looking at stuff, and I got a pretty good tan while I was there. (For me, anyway. Tominda is sure I’m an albino.) I thought it would be wetter, but Seattle was having a dry spell while I was in the area. That was fine with me, since it had rained about non-stop in WV for two weeks. When I flew back in to WV, it was raining. So, I spent the 4th of July in a movie theater with my mom, watching The Proposal, with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Great movie, by the way. Go see it or rent it when it comes out. I laughed a lot.

Well, since I failed to properly chronicle my travels (mostly uneventful, but fun), I would like to take the time to write about the music I have playing on this blog. I recently switched out the other playlist of fun and fantastic songs for this playlist full of fun and fantastic songs. And thus, my ramble starts.

I love the Japanese language. I find it so different and fascinating from my own; I really want to learn it. What I do not love is the sort of stereotypes that seem to come with it. “Oh, you like Japanese culture and language? You must be one of those super nerds. Do you watch cartoons? Geek, haha.” Yes, do say this to me sometime. I’ll punch you straight in the baby-maker, male or female. There are some very strange people associated with what America views as the “Japanese culture”. I will not deny this. I have seen them in action. I have hurt on the insides. However, I am not that person.

I do enjoy some of the cartoons that were made in Japan (“anime”), and I also like the comic books that come over from there (“manga”). I like the pictures, I like the art, I like the stories. My love of the anime started when I was in middle school and Cartoon Network played the animes “Ronin Warriors” and “Gundam Wing”. Other than that, I can’t say I’ve watched much anime. Here and there, if I find a good one.

Gundam Wing and Ronin Warriors, respectively.

I found manga when I worked at Sears. I know, weird. But, on my breaks, I would go over to the bookstore and sit and read the manga. I finally found Hana-Kimi, which is a really fun read and the art is good, so I wound up getting hooked on that and buying it. It’s the only one I have bought, and I still read it over sometimes, when the mood strikes me.

So, my love of that particular manga led me to the Internet, where I found that they had created a live-action drama of the book in Japan. How fun! I watched it, I loved it. I searched out some of the actors from that drama in other Japanese dramas. I found another drama called “Hana Yori Dango”. Also fun. Searched out some of the actors in it. You see the pattern here. However, one of the actors also happened to be in a group called “Arashi”. I went to YouTube. I FELL IN LOVE.

Arashi’s music is my favorite. I love how up-beat it is, I love the sound, I love their voices. It doesn’t really matter to me that I don’t understand the words. I have the same problem is some rap songs. It’s not so much about the words, really, but the music and the way everything sounds. It’s fun. I like fun and happy songs. It suits me. When I was younger, I enjoyed similar groups, such as NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys. I’ve just moved on to a different language.
Fact: I LOVE POP MUSIC. So sue me. All you music snobs out there who are reading this (as if) and hurling, can kiss it. I don’t care that you think that pop music is the degradation of musical society. It makes me happy. I like the beat, I like how you can sing to it even if you suck, and I like the simplicity. Sure, many things are synthesized and such, but I still enjoy the work that went into the song. Besides, I like other genres as well, such as classical and rock and R&B. And I love Japanese pop.

Arashi. Favorites of mine.

I’m pretty tired of getting weird looks. I’m pretty tired of being embarrassed because I like a pop group from another country. What’s wrong with that? I don’t understand why people like Alanis Morrisette, or flock to that Ne-Yo dude. (I probably eff-ed up his name, sorry.) Do I give you weird looks and give you crap for liking a woman who sounds a bit like a yodeling cat? Do I giggle at you because you like songs by some man who only sings about sex and getting it on in a limo? (I just did, if you’re wondering.) Just because I like something that is not main stream (and has really weird stereotypes attached to it), I catch flak.

Another fact: I LIKE JAPANESE POP. So far, I like three groups. They are all boy-bands. I think they’re pretty. I like their music. I’m probably not going to stop. Quit calling me weird. I’m not. I’m no different from the kid that stretches his ears out with those plastic things. I’m no different from the “emo” kids who wear really tight pants. It’s what they like. This is something I like. In the words of my esteemed former roommate, “DON’T JUDGE ME!”

Cheers all.

NEWS. They have some songs on my playlist there.

The group KAT-TUN. Different sounds, etc.

P.S. - I love pictures. I like putting them on blogs. Still learning, so please ignore the mess.

Navigator's (B)log, Day 1

And so it was that Tom and I set out on an epic journey across the United States. Tominda is moving to Seattle, as everyone and their mother knows by now, and I'm here as her navigator and best friend. 

We plotted our course yesterday on the Atlas I bought. This morning over biscuits at Tudor's Biscuit World with her parents, we changed the route. Instead of taking Route 50 down and around the pokey part of Ohio, we speed across the state on Route 35. We passed through Dayton, so if Mandy reads this, my death is certain. :( I wish we could have stopped to see her, but we don't have that much time to get out there. 

Anyway, as we trekked across Ohio, Tominda introduced me to a most hideous song. It was the old-style country bluegrass and she said it "made her want to dance on a log." Other than that, Ohio was pretty uneventful.

We crossed into Indiana around 1:00 p.m., where we instantly spotted some really splendid billboards. I'll upload a photo when I get home, but let it suffice to say that the board read in very large letters "TOM RAPER". Welcome to Indiana, leave your self worth and sanity at the border. 

Indiana, Tominda and I have decided, is a boring place. No offense to those that live there, but it's kinda bland to drive through. Tom did get us stuck in the middle of an intersection. She had run a red light, and stopped, so there we were, stuck. Thankfully, others seemed to notice our out of state plates and waved us through. We rolled back onto the freeway mouthing "I'M REALLY SORRY." 

At this present time, Tom and I are holed up in a Motel 6 (it smells funny in here) in Wisconsin. We're just over the border. We managed to make it through Indiana, into Illinois, and up into Wisconsin, all in one day. Woo! 

Tomorrow we head out for the Dakotas. Possibly, we shall see a "Corn Palace". Pictures to come! 

Short Little Freak Out

Holy mother of all things that are good and wonderful! I can’t believe that I’m going to look at apartments tomorrow. I don’t know why I’m such a freak attack, but it just dawned on me what I’m doing this weekend. I’m not sure if I usually walk around in a constant state of denial or if I am just that obtuse about what I have planned. I mean, seriously, I’m sure other people realize when they’re going to look for an APARTMENT with their FIANCE for the FIRST TIME. TO LIVE IN TOGETHER. Hurrr…..
I swear, sometimes I wonder how I’ve made it this far. Natural selection must not be as strong as Darwin thought. Haha!

Number of days Until the Great Exodus: 6
Number of days until I move: No longer sure. Depends on whether or not I quit the internship sooner than I thought. I might. I am not sure.

Oh, the Angst!

Good news everyone! Matt got the job he went to interview for and was offered the position the next week. Yay! Therefore, I am in full packing up/cleaning up mode. Matt and I are going up this weekend to D.C. to do some apartment hunting. Matt will start his job on July the 20th, I will join him there when my internship is finished on July 31st.

On top of all that, I’m also making a trip with Tominda out to Seattle WA, from WV. It is the trip we’ve wanted to take since we graduated from high school. However, this trip is not a round one; I am the only one returning by plane. Tominda has chosen to plant herself in the rainiest city I know of. You can bet your sweet bippy I am gonna be crying at the airport.

So I had an eventful weekend. I went down to Matt’s apartment, where we searched for apartments and jobs for me online. The job hunting thing is really getting old, so I was feeling a little discouraged. I’m pretty bummed that I haven’t gotten anything yet, and I want to catch up to Matt. However, I have to keep reminding myself that this is not a competition. But, at the time, I was bummed. But, I did have a horse-back riding lesson scheduled for that Saturday. Off I went, thinking that I could get some things off my mind by riding. This usually works well. Things on my mind:
Getting a job
Finding an Apartment
Leaving my Mom in this current situation
Leaving the only area I really know
Tominda moving away
Money money money

Needless to say, I got into my own head and just stayed there. I did not get these things off my mind and instead fell off the horse I was riding, even though he had done nothing. The lesson degenerated from there, ending with me in tears and a sore backside. Awesome. My instructor and I figure that I actually hurled myself to the ground.

I absolutely HATE to cry. Crying in front of others only makes it worse. I spent a good five minutes trying to get my shit under control and absolutely failed. I wound up apologizing to my instructor, embarrassed as hell. When I took the horse back up to the pasture to put him up, three of the other horses up there managed to escape on me. I don’t believe I have ever cursed so loudly or horribly before. Not one of my finer moments.

What really kept circling around in my head was, “I just want to be really good at something!” And this is one thing that I really want to be good at. It’s rather ridiculous, as I realize that I am good at many things. I can write well, I listen to others well, I’m a decent dancer (or I was), I can swim very well, I have a bit of artistic talent in certain things, etc. But, I have friends who all excel at these things. Where I am merely good, they are fantastic.

For instance, go to: www.readvessel.com . That is Tominda’s book. You will love it, I promise. It is a fascinating read and will keep you glued to your seat. This book is going to be big. Tom is a fabulous writer. That is only one example of my fantastic friends. I guess what I’m really looking for is to be Fabulous with a capital “F” in something too. I feel mediocre in comparison sometimes. Also ridiculous, in retrospect. I have my own talents and abilities that I just don’t see. I am forever my own worst critic. If nothing else, we can say that I attract remarkably talented and fantastic people to me. I shall start a harem.

On a more interesting and lighter note, I started reading some of my old Mercedes Lackey novels. I used to love The Heralds of Vladimar series. However, reading them now, I have realized that they are not the books I once liked so much. Do not mistake me, she has good stories. It is her characters that start to bother me. It has always bothered me that her characters were so DRAMATIC. I was able to get past that and enjoy the story. When I read those once treasured books now, I am irritated by the characters. They are all the same. They are all self-sacrificing people who regularly run themselves into the ground for the good of their country. Admirable, but boring. There is usually some sort of hard love/extreme love mixed into these stories, and I’m rather sick of that as well. I’m also not impressed with the writing style anymore. Ms. Lackey often writes a slice-of-life section in the book, and I used to like that a lot. Now, though, I find that it interrupts the story for me, and winds up not being that germane to whatever else is going on.

For example: So and so raced into the rescue! First he ate well roasted meat, drank crystal clear water, pooped, and slept on a bed of flaxen virgin hair! Back to the rescuing!
(I exaggerate) but the idea is the same. These are things that I plan to look out for in my own writings. Slice of life can be done better, it must, because I am going to write about things like that (not the pooping) but I want to do it in a way that flows better with the story and not as a sort of filler. Because that’s what they read like: sections of filler in-between sections of action. Boring filler as well.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I will be giving up a good portion of the series that I collected over the years. I will only be keeping two of the books, Take a Thief and Brightly Burning. Thank you Mercedes Lackey, for entertaining me through the years, I did love those books. I do still love them, I just don’t love them enough to read them for the 45th time or keep them. One less burden on the road.

I did buy a digital camera (I’ve never had one before) and had my friend Ginny take pictures of Matt and me in our graduation robes. Graduation day was so hectic, we never got to take pictures together. For Example:

















Attractive, I know. Try to contain yourselves.



I’m on a countdown:
Days until Tom and I head out: 9
Days until I move: 34 working days (does not include weekends)

Excel, Children!

I have a new internship, which is just great with me. I really like the women I work with and it's a small office with a big impact on certain communities in West Virginia.
However. At this very moment, four days into the 'ship, I have come to hate Microsoft Excel. It is a silly program. Although useful, I find it taxing, as well and mentally dulling. Often, I can't get it to do what I want, although I'm certain I'm putting in the right commands. Eff you excel, and your fantastic ability to drive me insane.

I really had to get that off my chest. Now, I will return to Excel.

First Time for Everything

Man oh man, has it been a month for the books. Family issues, graduation from college, moving, returning to "the nest", job search, start of a new internship; it's been something of a ride for me. I can't quite complain, as this means that my life is moving forward.
Strange as this is, I sometimes wish it would move just a little faster. I hate being stuck in limbo, and that is pretty much where I am. I'm not as flexible as I used to be and I don't think I could ever bend over backwards to get under a stick.

THINGS TO DO:
1. Find a big girl job
2. Study for the GRE
3. Apply to Grad School
4. Move again!

With some sort of luck (and just because he's that awesome) my fiance will have a job in Washington D.C. by the end of the month. That would be cool. Therefore, I must find a job too, as I am the one that wanted to go to D.C.

There is a grad school there that I want to go to: American University.
I will post a link to the program I want to take part in:
http://www.american.edu/sis/degrees/MA-IPCR.cfm
If you scroll to the bottom and see where they have tacked on a Degree in Theological Studies, that's what I'm aiming for. I'm hardcore.

I think I'm ready to start trying to be an adult now. It's weird, growing up. Not all bad, but weird.