Pretty Uneventful

My day wasn't so great today, it wasn't really bad, it just wasn't so great.

I went to my Bio class, it actually didn't bore me to tears like I thought it would, it was actually pretty interesting, we learned about the properties of life, which has always interested me, and stuff about chemistry which I still remember from high school chem so it'll be easy for the first couple weeks at least.

Then I made an appointment with a lady at school to help me with my resume for 9 AM tomorrow.

I looked online again for that job posting so I could print it out, only to find that it has been taken down. I don't know why, I can only assume that the position has been filled, which is extremely disappointing. The only other job I really found on the site was a receptionist/clerical person part time for this real estate company. It was extremely vague though, it didn't give me the name of the company or where it was or anything, it just said that it was a real estate office in my city. Like wow that's really helpful thanks. I hate answering phones but it pays $8.00-$10.00 an hour so I guess it could maybe be worth it. My last experience with answering phones was not a good one to say the least. Talk about nervous break down.

Off the Wagon

Okay, I really went off the wagon this week, and so did my self esteem and confidence.

I got really frustrated with my weight loss efforts, so I kind of just gave up this last week. I was frustrated because I only lost three pounds in three weeks, I didn't really see that much of a difference in my body, and all of my jeans were either too big or too small.

What I didn't know was, that one pound a week is a perfectly healthy amount of weight to be losing. Why am I so impatient? I probably was also gaining muscle which is why I wasn't losing tons of weight. I'm so dumb!

Oh well, I guess I'll just jump back on the wagon this week...

In other news...

I know I already talked about this, but I really want that job I found. I'm so sick of being broke, you know it's bad when you practically drool at the thought of having a dollar bill. I haven't had any money to spend in so long it's ridiculous. I want to pay my own bills, I'm sick of needing my parents to pay for everything, I want to be independent. I really hardcore want this job.

Neopets and the Perfect Job

I have recently rediscovered my neopets obsession. When I was younger, probably about ten or eleven, I was absolutely obsessed with this website, it's very addicting. For those who have never heard of this site or don't really know what it is, it is a free website that allows you to own up to four "neopets" which are little cartoon pets that you take care of and play with. You feed them, you can buy them clothes, read them books, play games with them, battle with them, and a lot of other stuff. There are tons of things to do to earn "neopoints" which is what you use to buy things on the site (food, toys, books, clothes etc.).

The best part is that it has barely changed since I was a kid, I'm really glad they kept it simple and didn't try to over-improve it. It is wonderful the way it is.


My mom found a posting for a job opening at a hospital that sounds absolutely perfect for me. I'm sure it pays well, but honestly, I don't care if it only pays minimum wage, all I want, is to be spared being stressed to the point of a nervous break down. This would be a perfect job for me because I have all the experience I need, and I don't have to handle money or deal with the public! Perfect!

So on Monday morning I am going to make a call to have someone at my school help me improve my resume so I can apply for the job. I am really praying for this job because I am sick of being broke, and I need some more structure in my life. For me, too much free time means too much opportunity to procrastinate. If I have to go to school and work at the same time, it will be either keep up, or fail. And I am not going to fail, that is not an option.

Wish me luck!!

"I Love You Man" and Spiders

Has anyone seen the movie "I Love You Man"? (It's a great movie you should check it out)

The story is about a guy, Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd). Peter has no guy friends, and when he asks his girlfriend, Zooey (Rashida Jones), to marry him, he realizes that he has nobody to be his best man. I don't want to give too much away, so basically, this realization prompts him to begin his search for some guy friends to add to the wedding party, and ultimately a best man/best friend.

The reason I bring this up is because Peter Klaven, reminds me of me. He is so socially awkward it almost seems impossible. But when I watch him, I see myself. He's always nervous and awkward, not knowing what to say, and when he does say something it comes out as gibberish or making no sense at all (layta on tha menjay!). This is me! If you want to see how socially awkward I really am then you have to see this movie because it is a dead ringer for how I am in the social world (plus it's hilarious).

Fun fact: I got my fish's name from this movie.

Okay moving on, today was my first bio lab, and I thought I was going to hate it for a couple of reasons: 1. I have always hated doing science labs in the past and 2. I seem to always get a partner that doesn't particularly like me (or it could just be my imagination). But today actually wasn't that bad. The lab was actually kind of fun (for school anyway) and my partner was nice so I didn't feel really nervous. It was a good class.

I also have to add before I post this blog, while I was writing this a spider ran across my desk and scared the crap out of me. I saw it gasped, got up, walked to the other side of the room, and almost passed out. I hate spiders, and they know it, I swear they do.

"The Cove" and the Last Day of Summer Vacay

I realized in class today, that I get to kind of gradually ease back into the whole school routine, which is really cool, better than jumping right into all my classes all at once.

Biology 101 started today. I think that's going to be my hardest class, I'm a little worried that it's going to be a little over my head. I think it will be fine though, I'll just have to put more time into it than I would for easier classes.

My Sociology class doesn't start until September 16th and then my English Comp and computer class start October 21st. I hope I'm glad I scheduled this way.

Yesterday I hung out with my cousin Rikki and enjoyed my last day of summer vacation.

We took a walk in the park and got some pretty pictures...

It was a good day, we definitely got our exercise in, we walked around three miles just in the park. Note to self: Don't wear flip flops on long walks, it won't end well.

Today in Bio we watched a trailer for a movie/documentary/thriller called "The Cove". It's about what I guess is a mass slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Most of the world doesn't know about it, even the people in Japan. Most people who know me know that I'm far from being an animal rights activist, the problem I have with this, is that they are taking this dolphin meat, and selling it like it's fish and sushi (a.k.a. lying). Dolphins are not fish, they're mammals and they live longer than fish and they gather up quite a few toxins in their bodies over time. I guess the documentary goes on to show how this is causing health problems, including birth defects, in Japan. (I don't really know, my teacher saw the whole movie already at a film festival.)

"The Cove" Website

The trailer doesn't make it look all that exciting, and according to my professor, doesn't do the movie justice.

Funny Videos

My friend Amber showed me a couple of videos on youtube today (well, technically yesterday) that really made me laugh.

David After Dentist



This video cracked me up! Especially the part where he just stands up, screams, and then kind of falls asleep for a minute. It's pretty hilarious.

Then there's the parody...

David After Drugs (Language Warning)




This is definitely way funnier if you have seen the original first. I couldn't stop laughing at these videos.


Then there's this video, it's not so much that the video is hilarious, just the fact that the video has close to three million views, and then thinking about how embarassed this kid is going to be when he grows up!!

Baby In Tummy




Okay, that's all for right now, school starts tomorrow. Class at 2PM...at least I get to sleep in :D

Shy and Unemployed

Today is Monday, one of my two last days before school starts again on Wednesday.

I'm actually kind of nervous for school to start, like I'm nervous but excited at the same time. I feel like this was the longest summer ever, because I got out much earlier than I ever did in high school or grade school. I also feel like I haven't been in touch with the human race in months.

I'm so painfully shy that it kind of makes going back to school to new classes a painful experience.

But I have a few goals for this year. This year I want to get a 4.0 both semesters. First semester I got a 3.8 but the second semester I got like a 1.7...I hate the winter semester, ugh.

I also want to make at least one new friend this year. I didn't really put any effort into meeting new people last year, and I'm thinking that I should, just for the sake of getting over my shyness. I should probably stop assuming that people hate me from the moment they see me haha.

And finally, I have to get a job. I have been out of work pretty much since I got laid off from the best job ever in August of '08. I did work for a cleaning company for a few months but they literally were not paying me, so I quit. And once again, my shyness and lack of self confidence holds me back. What else is new? But yeah, this year I'm definitely going to make it happen, I am going to get a new job.

In other news, I started week three of my eight week running program. Remember how I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it? Well, I almost couldn't. It was so hard, oh my gosh, but I finished it. Of course I was so weak and exhausted afterwords that I barely did any strength training that I would normally do, but whatever.

I have another blog post in the works but it requires some research, so that will be coming as soon as I can do the reading that I need to in order to write it.

Okay, there's the update on my life for anyone whose actually interested. Peace <3

Back To School and Running

School is getting ready to start again, which means there's a lot for me to do to make sure I'm ready.

I finally got my schedule all put together, it took me a while ha ha. I'm taking biology, english, sociology, and a computer class (which will be easy). The computer class is an internet class, I'm interested in seeing how that will go, if I like it I might take more of them. I much prefer not having to leave my house for school, then I don't have to worry about waking up late or the weather or what to pack for my lunch etc. etc.

I got a new comfy chair for my desk, I got it from a sale my dad's work was having for five bucks, it's in really good condition and much more comfortable than the one I had before. Plus, it spins!

I'm currently working on cleaning up my room and my desk space, I can't stand working in a mess! I got all my school clothes hung up in my closet. I barely had enough hangers and my clothing supply is starting to get too big for my closet...what a problem to have.

After my room is all clean I'm going to ask my dad to put up my new shelves and finally get my ceiling fan put in. I've been without a light in my room for about a year. I've been using a floor lamp but it's on its last leg...what do you expect for ten bucks?

I also need to clean out my car, it's not that I have a ton of stuff in there, it just needs to be vacuumed and such.

I've been doing a lot of running lately. I started this eight week running program for beginning runners, and it has been a pleasant experience so far. I ran cross country my freshman year in high school and I absolutely hated it. Freshman year my doctor told me that I have sports induced asthma and just gave me an inhaler for it, which didn't really help all that much. The combination of not knowing how to breathe while running and my asthma, made it more difficult than it should have been.

After doing a lot of research I realized that I had never been breathing the right way while running. Breathing correctly while running does wonders, you get a lot more air into your lungs by breathing through your nose and mouth simultaneously. Also, staying hydrated before during and after running makes it a lot less painful, the only time my asthma bothers me now is when I'm dehydrated. Knowing all this is making me a better, happier runner. Sunday or Monday I'll be starting week three of my eight week running program. Wish me luck! I'm kind of nervous that I won't be able to do it, because it looks significantly harder than week two.

My Running Program

That's pretty much it. Maybe I'll post pictures of my room when it's all done, it's so pretty!

Texting and Driving

It seems, to me at least, like common sense to keep your eyes on the road at all times when you're driving. Wait 'til you get to a red light to change the radio station or change the CD, don't be a rubbernecker and stare at the accident on the other side of the highway as you drive by, and most importantly DON'T TEXT WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING!

People do it all the time, you see them holding their slide down keyboard phones on the steering wheel, just driving around like it's perfectly okay. This isn't to say that people don't do other stupid things while they're driving (reading, shaving, putting on make up, eating) but texting seems to be the most common.

If you're texting with both hands on your phone resting on top of the steering wheel, 1. you don't have your eyes on the road and 2. you don't have your hands on the wheel. Steering with your fists is not safe!

So I was watching Fox News today, and I rarely watch the news because it is often extremely aggravating, but today I saw something that was completely shocking and disturbing.

The UK aired a Public Service Announcement about texting while driving.

Warning: This is extremely graphic



For those of you who don't have a strong stomach, three girls are driving down the road, the driver texting, they drift into oncoming traffic, get into a head on collision (shows what is going on inside their car in slow motion) and then a third smashes into them. The texting driver has an apparent neck injury, her two friends are unconscious, possibly dead, the car she crashed into has a little girl sitting next to her possibly also dead baby sister, crying for her mommy and daddy to wake up, and the driver of the third car is also unconscious.

All in all it is shockingly graphic and upsetting. But maybe this is what we have to resort to if people won't take warnings seriously. And judging from the looks of the comments on this video on youtube, a lot of people won't even take this seriously. Do we need to start arresting people for texting while driving? Some people might think this seems extreme, but I see it as extremely dangerous, and there need to be consequences for people who do this. It seems like everyone just thinks "it won't happen to me". Well, chances are, it'll only happen once.

You're not only putting your own life at risk by texting and driving, you're putting other people's lives at risk, and that's not fair. Think about it.

Consistent Information Would Help

For a while now, people in this country have complained about the growing obesity problem we're facing. We blame this obesity problem on the fast food industry, television, laziness, etc.

But I think there's more to it than that. I think that there are a lot of people who want to lose weight, eat healthy, and get in shape. But I think that a lot of people fail because they are confused about food, and how to eat healthy, which causes them to become frustrated and eventually give up.

The cause of their confusion? A gigantic lack of consistent information. One day whole milk will help you lose weight, the next, it's causing your weight gain. One day's headlines tell us green tea is the answer to our prayers, the next, your body only absorbs a minimal amount of the tea you drink.

Where is the truth? It's completely understandable that people would get confused, I'm confused! I'm confused and frustrated because I don't know what's myth and what's fact, because I'm constantly being fed conflicting information.

What we need here, is consistent information, that isn't changing from one day to the next. I'm not saying that this is the main cause of obesity, but I do believe that it largely contributes to the problem, and that there would be more people eating healthy if they knew what they were doing.

Me Learning How to Cook

Since I've recently started trying to eat healthier and get into shape, that means that I have to learn how to cook. Part of learning how to cook is finding recipes not only that I like, but that are healthy as well.

This has been quite a big chore for me for a few reasons:

1. I'm extremely picky
2. I'm not a good cook
3. I don't understand nutrition very well
4. Being a perfectionist makes following a recipe painful
   

Just a few weeks ago I didn't know how to really make anything besides toaster waffles and fish sticks in the oven, stuff that you can pretty much do without too much trouble. I now officially know how to make three dishes.

The first dish I learned how to make wasn't very good the first time I tried it, but it's gotten better and better each time, now that I've learned how to play around with recipes a bit and not be so uptight about it.

Broccoli and Brown Rice Skillet Dinner:

This dish consists of brown rice, chicken, broccoli, low fat cheese, garlic powder and black pepper. First I chop up the broccoli and boil it in a pot or deep pan in chicken broth. While the Broccoli is boiling I cut up the chicken and add it to the mix. Once the chicken is done cooking all the way through, I add the rice and let it soak long enough to be come soft. When it's all done I melt a mix of Italian cheeses on top and I'm good to go. It's making me hungry just thinking about it. I also came up with a variation of this dish (which I'm counting as my second learned meal). One day I had already started the dish when I realized that I didn't have any brown rice, so I replaced the rice with stuffing, a bit higher in calories, but worth it in flavor in my opinion.

Broccoli Brown Rice Skillet Dinner Recipe

The third meal I learned how to make I made for the first time today; broccoli, white bean and cheddar soup. I will say that this soup hardly looks appetizing but it didn't taste nearly as disgusting as I had anticipated. Really, I would just say that this dish was just okay, it wasn't fantastic, but if I were in kind of a rush, this would be a suitable meal to make as it only took about 20 minutes to make.

Broccoli, White Bean and Cheddar Soup Recipe

Now to find a recipe that doesn't include broccoli. (Even though I think it's the most delicious food on the face of the earth)

Human Status

I heard/read something today that deeply disturbed me.

President Barack Obama's top science "Czar", John P. Holdren, co-authored a book in 1973 called "Human Ecology: Problems and Solutions". In this book he states: “The fetus, given the opportunity to develop properly before birth, and given the essential early socializing experiences and sufficient nourishing food during the crucial early years after birth, will ultimately develop into a human being,”.

I'm sorry did you say that AFTER the babie's birth IF it is properly socialized and fed it will develop into a human being?

It would seem that I would not have to explain why this disturbs me, but sadly people have become so lazy that they don't even bother to think about statements like these.

What makes us human?

According to Holdren, you have to be at the very least, socialized and well nourished. I'm not a scientist and I have enough critical thinking skills to know that social skills do not make you human. There are plenty of people who can not communicate, or do not have very good social skills, that you can not (unless you're Holdren apparently) deny are human.

It is very obvious that we need nourishment or we will die, or if we are not nourished properly, we will not be healthy. But does being healthy make you human? No. There are again, plenty of unhealthy people who you can not deny are human.

I have heard so many things over the years, so many reasons why a new born baby or an unborn baby isn't human, they can't take care of themselves, they can't communicate, they don't have a mind. So I urge everyone who reads this to think about it, is the quadriplegic not human because they can't take care of themselves? Is the person in a coma who can't communicate with you no longer human? Has the teenager who has brain damage from a car accident lost their status as a human being? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are in my prayers.

What makes us human is our DNA, that is formed at the moment of our conception, and our connection in our common loving creator God, and we are obligated to protect the most innocent of His people.

God Bless.

Guilt Free Movie Nachos Courtesy of Tae Bo

Ten days ago I decided to embark on my own fitness journey. I've always been thin, but I've never been in very good physical shape. This was made very clear to me on my summer trip to Gettysburg, when I got winded and worn out walking up three flights of stairs. Three flights of stairs should be a cinch for a nineteen year old girl haha. So I remembered that last Christmas I got this Tae Bo Amped workout set, that I asked for but had never used.


It comes with five full length workouts that last from 30-50 minutes. A 3lb amplifier bar, and Billy Blanks' Weight Loss Success Guide, that is full of diet and healthy eating tips, and instruction on proper form for the workouts.

I started out on day one with the first workout in the DVD case: Jump Start Cardio. The first time I did it I found it extremely hard and was very worn out by the end of it. I've been doing these Tae bo exercises almost every single day since I started ten days ago. The second time I did the Jump Start Cardio routine, I still found it to be a very good workout, but it was noticeably easier than the first time I had done it. I have gained strength, tone, and stamina in just ten days of doing Tae Bo and eating healthy. And I have lost 5lbs.

Anyway, everyone who has ever tried to lose weight, get in shape, or change their eating habits knows that there just has got to be that one day where healthy eating goes completely out the window. For me, yesterday was one of those days. I didn't go completely overboard and binge all day long, but I definitely didn't eat well. I went to the movies with my mom, and I could not resist the movie theater nachos. (1100 calories, 59 grams of fat, 18 of them saturated) and as I knew I would I deeply regretted it later. And promptly fed my remorse with a gigantic chunk of fudge! But I don't feel guilty anymore after doing my Tae Bo because I know I got a really good work out, and burned tons of calories.

My Pet's Facebook Page

A few days ago, I made my little dog Frito, a facebook profile. I sent my friends and family friend requests, and most of them found it pretty hilarious. People have been leaving her comments, and I comment back as if I am her. Her profile has gotten more attention than I thought it would, she's gotten more friend requests, comments and photo tags than I expected she would.

It's so easy to come up with stuff for her profile because she has such a personality. It's very easy to give her a voice on the internet. I'm looking forward to a lot more fun with my little dog's facebook profile.