Saturday, January 31, 2004
Childhood memories...
So here's the happy thought for the day. Remember the fun childhood songs you used to sing? The ones you still like even to this day? Well here's one that got stuck in my head earlier today.
One Elephant Went Out to Play
One elephant went out to play
On a spider's web one day.
He had such enormous fun
That he called for another elephant to come.
Two elephants went out to play...
Yay for happy memories :) What are some of your favorite childhood memories?
(Thanks to the talented artist who drew this adorable Dumbo. It makes me happy.)
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Tuesday, January 27, 2004
The siren's call...
So for a little background, my bed and I weren't always such good buddies. I had a nice bed at my parents' house, and this one just couldn't compete. And my dorm beds (as sick as this sounds) were always worn in enough and on kind of a springy frame/hammocky thing that after I put on the mattress cover, foam pad, and feather bed cover they were pretty comfortable. Now a common assumption is that after adding that much cushioning between yourself and the actual bed, you could sleep on just about anything and have it feel like a million bucks. Trust me, I believed that at first as well.
I was so naive. The bed just was not comfortable. They somehow conned some company into creating a twin bed that is shorter and narrower than any other twin bed. My feet hang off the end, and the frame of the mattress will occasionally collapse if you lift yourself onto your elbow too close to the edge. Now those who know me know that I am not freakishly tall nor am I what could be considered fat. This bed was obviously a problem. I eventually got into a decent working relationship with the bed... it provided a slightly softer than the floor alternative for my sleeping needs, and I made it feel more like a real bed. Neither of us were happy, but it worked. Once I returned back from the break, I had to get readjusted to the mediocrity all over again. BUT... then there was a turning of the tides...
My fabulous roomietta (L) gave me a chenille maroon throw, and as I was getting groceries at supah target this weekend I saw a deal to get 2 chenille throw pillows for just $8. So now I was getting a little excited. I actually made my bed and was so happy with the result that I took a picture of the beautiful new bed:
So now the bed is kind of like so many people running around the world today -- it's beautiful but it's still lacking in the personality department. For now, though, I'm off to another night of rest under my many warm blankets...
Oh, and you can thank KT for her tip on how to get a picture posted! Night~
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Sunday, January 25, 2004
A final farewell...
So tonight is the conclusion of National Vortexia Weekend. What a tragedy. Tomorrow I will have to wake up early to go the school for 12 hours. Yuck.
But I can say that I had a wonderful weekend. Mayhem came over and we were lazy bums together. I ate brownies for breakfast (and many snacks throughout the day), made and ate two pizzas with my wonderful boy, ate fudgescicles, watched loads of TV and movies, and slept in late. I also had a little coconut coke, which is really yummy because it tastes like vanilla coke. (Sorry D, I didn't get drunk.) OH! And my roommate must have been informed that this was a national holiday weekend celebrating me because she left for the whole weekend!!! There could be no better way for her to help me get into the festive mood... well, I guess if she was moving out I would have been even more festive.
On a random sidenote, my bed looks sooooooo adorable! I took a picture so I'll have to upload it and try to put it up here for all to adore. It's so rich with a chenille maroon theme :) It makes me happy. Ok, well I think I need to get reunited with it pretty soon, so this will be about it. Oh yeah, two things...
First: Mayhem has the most adorable kitten ever seen on the face of this earth but might have to give it away. Any takers? Or anybody who has a convincing argument to prove to me that I can smuggle it into my apartment and foot the vet bill without the authorities ever finding out? (We have a strict no animal rule in our lease.)
Second: I want to know how everyone else celebrated National Vortexia Weekend. Click the comment button and fill me in. I hope my weekend was good to everyone :) Love you guys!
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Friday, January 23, 2004
National Vortexia Day!!
So I just decided that today would be National Vortexia Day, and if I feel like it, this might even be National Vortexia Weekend. I'm staying in pajamas today, going without undies or a bra, eating the pan of chocolate lovers fudge brownies I just made, drinking a little, and hanging with the boy whenever he gets here. A quick trip to blockbuster to get my fave movies may round out National Vortexia Day. OH! And I spent a couple hours talking to my favoritest roomietta in the whole wide world!
If Mayhem plays his cards right, day two of National Vortexia Weekend could be celebrated by getting dressed up in a super sexy outfit and going out for a night on the town.
What could be better than a weekend devoted to celebrating me?! If I could work in a massage while I'm at it, then this truly would be the best weekend of the year :) Please join me in the celebration. Although it technically is about celebrating me and my wonderfulness, it is also all about celebrating all wonderful people in the world and our ability to relax and be HAPPY! So mix the brownie mix, put on your PJs, take a nap until the timer goes off, then eat your brownies while watching some quality TV or movies. Celebrate National Vortexia Weekend right!!!
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A little something new...
Check out that sexy new sidebar, baby! If you want to be added to the Wall of Fame, then let me know. Or if you know of a good site, also let me know.
So a quick update on my life:
*Today is my day off... wahoo!!!
*I got my email reinstated, thank goodness!
*I may not be writing as much for the next 16 weeks because I have a 12 hour day, a 13 hour day, and two 9 hour days, not to mention all the school work for 4 classes.
Must go. Super VIP call... the roomietta needs me!
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Wednesday, January 21, 2004
I hate today...
So again I don't have time to write for today, but here are the cliff notes of the day:
*Wake up at 6:15. Work for 9 hours, then go to class, for a grand total of a 13 hour day. Shoot me now.
*Go to the world's MOST boring class in the world. It actually took at great deal of self restraint to not bang my head against the chalkboard to the left of me. And I couldn't keep myself from making all kinds of faces and comments through the class. There were 7 of us in the corner doing that and then cracking up. The prof probably already hates us, but she's so stuck on herself that she probably would hate us anyway because we aren't her. Ugh.
*Get home to discover that the fabulous alma mater cut off my email account without warning. Supposedly you get 6 months before they kill it, and they still had me in the system as a student, so I should have gotten 6 months from December. But no. My account hasn't been working the past couple days, but with their stellar service that's nothing new. But after about 3 days I'm really getting suspicious so I investigated. Turns out that other peoples' accounts are still working and this death of my account coincided nicely with them cutting off the old graduates' accounts. So somehow I didn't get on the list of graduates to get notified that my account would die, but I did get on the list of email accounts to kill. So death to that account, all my old emails (some of which I needed to forward on to myself because they were important), and death to my address book. So if I don't notify you that it's changed, I'm really sorry but it's probably because I don't have your email address memorized. Let me know if you need my new one.
At this point I'm so exhausted and drained from this hellish day that I can't even remember anything, so I'm gonna go. Say a little prayer for me that things will get better tomorrow. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!
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Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Well crap.
So, if a blog is published on the internet and nobody reads it, does it make a sound?
I actually had something to say, but then life happened and now I have to get to bed so I can drag my sorry butt out of bed tomorrow morning. I have a 13 hour day tomorrow... ew. I swear I will write about my internship sometime within the next year. But until I have time, buh-bye now.
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Saturday, January 17, 2004
I have this theory...
So I just thought up this theory on interactions in relationships. I want somebody who still needs to do research in either a sociology or psychology department to research this and get back to me. I think I'm onto something.
Ok, so we know some basics about positive and negative reinforcements here, right? If you're rewarded for something so you do it more, that reward was a positive reinforcement. If you get punished for doing something and try to do it less, then the punishment was a negative reinforcement. Now in relationships, we have been trained by society to implement pos and neg reinforcements in some form or another. If person A hurts person B, A gets some kind of punishment given by B. For example, A says B looks fat in those jeans, so B burns all of As clothing. If A does something that makes B happy, then A is rewarded by B. For example, A says B is the smartest person in the world, so B rewards A with a kiss (for the PG audience). Get the idea? Good.
Now, the disconnect comes when emotions enter into the picture. Oftentimes, emotional reactions are either the reward or punishment. This is complicated so I hope I can explain it well enough. If A hurts B, B may punish A by giving the silent treatment. For A, this is a punishment, but for B it could be a reward if B wants nothing to do with A for the next few hours. OR, it could also be a reward for B because A will spend the next few hours trying to show how wonderful B is, how madly in love A is with B, etc. Then this is further complicated by the make up process. A and B reward each other at the end of the fight by making up and making each other happy again. This could be a reward for ending the fight, but the mind could confuse it with a reward for the fight itself. Ah ha!
Also, for dramatic people or those who don't usually get enough attention during the smooth sailing part of the relationship, having a fight where the other person (A) has to prove their love and devotion to them (B), further reinforces the fighting. B is only reassured that A feels the same way about B when they fight; therefore, B instigates more fights and drama to get the attention they want. Further reinforcement.
Ok, so I think I'm really onto something here. Reinforcement stuff is so fun! I'll be thinking about a solution to this vicious cycle. If I think of it I'll let you know. (And did you know that "vicious cycle" was originally "vicious circle" but somebody changed it? Just in case you cared.) Ok, well I have to unpack so I can pack to go back to my parents' for the weekend. I go see the dentist again on Monday and it's a loooong commute from my apartment. I need to find a way to positively reinforce myself for unpacking/packing so I'll actually do it. Till next time...
(Disclaimer: person A and B are fictional people in fictional scenarios having fictional fights. If you know me then you know I wouldn't be person A or B and neither would any of my friends.)
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Still to come: I need to tell you about my internship! Here's the short version: I like it. Much more to come later.
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Thursday, January 15, 2004
The world's a giant playground...
And there's always a bully. Rich countries pick on poor countries. Rich people don't want to let the poor have anything. Football players pick on geeks. Are we really so insecure with ourselves that we always have to be proving ourselves like this?
The newest thing? Homeless people can now be thrown in JAIL if they push a shopping cart beyond the store's property. If they get the "lesser" penalty then they have to pay a $100 fine. So how many people who are homeless actually have $100?! That just don't make no sense, yo.
That's it for now. I'm tired. I worked 9 hours yesterday and 8 1/2 today, so I'm gonna kick back on the couch until I have enough energy to get up and fix some dinner. Blah.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Save your butt: A lesson for boyfriends
Let's start with introductions. I want to hear all the boyfriends stand up and announce, "Hi, my name is _____, and I'm a bad boyfriend at times. I would like to learn to be better."
Nice to meet you, _____. The first misperception that I need to clear up for you boyfriends is this whole "listening" issue. Now, most of you believe that if you store the last 4 words your girlfriend said in some little pocket in your brain you're good to go. You're listening. Right? Wrong. Just covering your ass in the event that your girlfriend utters those words that strike fear into grown men ("Are you listening to me?," aka "You're not even listening are you?," aka "You don't even know what I just told you, do you?") does not mean that you were listening. All that means is that you have enough spare brain cells to store 4 words at a time and regurgitate them on command. Not listening. Not good.
Now for those of you I haven't already lost, let me explain the correct way to listen. Actually listen! Stop watching tv, searching the internet, fixing your computer, playing your video game, talking to your buddies, or whatever and pay attention to what she is telling you. The whole story, not just the last 4 words or the big key words. BUT what's even more important is this... you listen to the emotions behind the words. That's right. You'll suddenly catch on that something is wrong if you do this. Let's have a scenario for this:
GF: (Silence)
BF: Hey baby, is everything ok?
GF: Fine. (Said with hatred, anger, and sadness)
BF: K. (Continues watching the football pregame followed by the game followed by the play-by-plays in complete silence on their 1st anniversary)
While this couple somehow managed to make it to their first anniversary with this kind of communication (or lack thereof), they may not make it to their 2nd. The GF was obviously pissed and the BF didn't even hear her.
I have to get up at 6:15 now for my internship so that's it for now, but I just wanted to help educate the men of the world. Love is a good thing when it's going smoothly, so maybe this can help make a few more relationships last.
Oh, and for the guys who may want to deny that this listening tactic isn't what is employed on a regular basis, I have proof. You guys are often quite good at disguising with this 4 word tactic, but sometimes you slip up. Like today. I was trying to tell Mayhem about something that happened today at work, and I had mentioned in a previous discussion how I couldn't sleep the night before. He heard something about not sleeping (old convo), a lady (check), and a break room (check on the room, negative on the break room). So he pieced together a recap for me that I had been talking to this woman in the break room about how I couldn't sleep well the night before. Nope. Not even close. Totally wrong. And I hadn't even gotten to the point of the story by the time he was telling me this fabricated conversation. He was laughing at a shirt in Target instead of listening. Oops. So you can thank him for this edumucation (and this was a kind education, not a bitchfest in case you add a nasty tone to my writing since you can't hear my tone). Anyway..... Night!
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Sunday, January 11, 2004
Sweet thought of the night...
So when I talked to my Grandma earlier tonight she gave me permission to not unpack my stuff until I felt like it. She said to just pick out what I wanted to wear for work tomorrow, hang it up so it wasn't wrinkly, and then just walk around all the other stuff until I felt like unpacking it. She give some great advice, doesn't she? So with my newfound freedom from unpacking I decided to watch French Kiss since it was on and it's a cute movie. The sweet thought of the night was from the first (and only other) time that I saw the movie. It was my sophomore year of college and Mayhem was visiting me. It was his last day there and I really really didn't want him to leave again. Despite having work to do, I just blew off the day and we watched marathon romantic comedies all night. The theme must have been kissing or something because the only two movies I remember being on were Kissing a Fool and French Kiss. I know it was cheesy, but it was such a great cuddly way to spend our last few hours together and it brings up happy warm fuzzies whenever I see either movie now.
Ok, gotta shower and go to bed early for the big bad first day of internship tomorrow but I just wanted to share. Oh, and send good carma thoughts to my brother because his engine is making "double clacking" noises as he's stuck in a traffic jam and he has to drive 4 more hours tonight. Thanks mucho! Have a good night :)
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Announcement:
Can I just say I LOVE MY GRANDMA!!!! She is the most incredible person in the world and I love her so much! Some sage advice I got today from my wonderful Grandma -- You can never relive good memories too much. So true. Good memories will always make you feel happy and fill your heart with love. I have stuff to do to get ready for my internship tomorrow, but I just wanted to share that because I think we often can get too busy to look back upon cherished memories. She also assured me that first days and unknown situations are always a little tough but that they usually turn out just fine. That helped since I'm so nervous about the first day of my internship and what I'll be expected to do and all. I feel totally unprepared and really hope I'll get some training, although it doesn't sound like I really will. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer for me if you could. Thanks!
I would appreciate prayers for Grandma, too. She got sick with the flu from somebody on the plane ride home from the wedding and is still pretty sick from it. So if you could say a quick prayer for her I would really appreciate it (and I know she would, too). Thanks to all and I love you guys!
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Thursday, January 08, 2004
So much to say, so much to say, so much to saaay...
Start off right with a little song there. So there has been a LOT going on in my life lately and I'm not sure where to start. First, to update everyone on the problem with my friend's girlfriend. We will call her B. So I went to the New Year's party, and my guy friend, N, and his girlfriend B did show, although several hours later than they said they would. At any rate, when they arrived B completely ignored me but N was being really nice to me. I decided not to ruin that by saying something to him about the lie unless he turned on me. Shortly after they got there, B left in search of an open store to buy gatorade or something. Then she left again shortly after that for good and was gone by 11:30... so much for ringing in the new year! But as she was leaving I said "Oh! B, come get an ornament. My Grandma makes them every year." She tried to ignore me, but N swung her around to face me and the ornaments and some of my other friends who already knew about the tradition started telling her about it and how she had to get one of them. She looked at me with daggers in her eyes and walked over to the box the ornaments were in. N said he wasn't leaving yet so he'd get his later. She tried to not be enthusiastic about it, but when she saw one of the little santas she smiled and said that it would match the ornaments on her tree at home. So she took it and mumbled thanks and then left. I'm pretty sure it didn't do much to melt the ice between us, but at least it showed that I didn't reciprocate the hateful feelings she felt toward me. Later my best guy friend R (the one in the army) said he thought I made a good choice to show to N that I didn't hate his girlfriend like she was trying to make him believe.
More good news from that night... I met R's fiancee, H, at the NY party and I loved her!! She was such a sweetheart and so nice, and I think we have quite a bit in common. I was worried that we might not get along well with this whole B thing and the email I sent asking if she knew about us being friends or not. But there was no awkwardness or anything and we got along great. Unfortunately we had a bonding experience that I wish we didn't have. One of the friends, C, who only appears once in a blue moon showed up and was trashed before anybody else even arrived. When the guys went to go play videogames (a tradition for this group), he wandered over to H and me and started hitting on us. We tried to politely just brush him off and ignore him enough that he'd get bored and leave, but it didn't work. And when we didn't respond he'd say something about how ugly he must be for us to not give him the time of day. Yet he was friends with both of our boyfriends... hello?! At the next open opportunity, H went over to R and let him know that he needed to keep an eye on C. When the clock struck midnight the guys paused the game and mayhem and R came over to give us a New Years kiss. When I pulled away from mayhem, I saw that C was STARING at us only a couple feet away as we kissed. A-w-k-w-a-r-d. Then R and H went out to smoke and H invited me to join them (going outside, not smoking!). We were hoping that we could let R know what all was up and strategize with him on getting C to either chill or leave. BUT... C followed us out. Then got so excited that they had cigarettes and started smoking with them. Great. He claimed he had gone downstairs to leave, but then when we went inside he followed us back in. Go figure. Once we got back inside he came within a foot of my face and said "look, I can't be any more obvious about how I feel." Ok, that was it. I found a seat next to mayhem and sat with my eyes riveted to the screen watching every move they guys made in the game. C stared at me the entire time. Finally R and N escorted him out and watched him get out of the neighborhood. H and I breathed a sigh of relief and were able to enjoy ourselves again. Apparently mayhem was oblivious to most of it until C had left, so he has kindly been asked to LISTEN to me the next time I tell him that a guy is creeping me out and hitting on his girlfriend! Blech. Ok, for the sake of keeping these entries to a readable length I will wait to write about the wedding until another time.
Expect to hear all about my crazy relatives (crazy in the best way possible... well, except for one), and all the people who want mayhem and me to step into line to be married soon.
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The official stuff...
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