Addiction

I'm sure most people of this generation can understand my addiction to Facebook.  It's become a habit: turn on the computer, log on to Facebook.  I remember the time, way back in my senior year of high school, when I was wary of the social networking site.  I was hesitant, not sure how to respond to it.  I mean, what are you supposed to do with a "social networking" site?  It's not like Xanga (which will always have a soft spot in my heart; I had one for many years) where you write about things . . . It's a blog.  That's it's purpose.  So what exactly do you do with a social networking site?

Now, two years later, I can barely go a day without Facebook.  I log on periodically to check up on . . . I don't even know what.  Maybe to feel connected to the people I don't see every day or to see if anyone's sent me anything.  Perhaps I've gotten used to the stalkerish nature of the site.  I've also come to see its use as a resource and a place to share ideas with the people in my circle of friends, family, and acquaintances.  Events are slightly easier to plan while friends are scattered all over the East Coast if there's a place online for us to use.  We can make plans long before coming home for the summer.

The whole concept of being able to communicate with friends all over the world via the internet is awesome.  Unfortunately, I've found that the people I interact with the most on the internet are the people who I see regularly in real life already.  Most of the time, there are a bunch of people who are signed into Facebook, but no one I really want to talk to.  Then there are those people who you've met once but they invite you to everything.  It becomes more of a procrastination method: sign on, start a random conversation with someone you've met twice, stalk a friend's page because you haven't talked to them in a while . . .

Love them, hate them, social networking has come into existence and I doubt it's going anywhere anytime soon.  They're a great way to keep in touch with people you don't see every day (whether this happens regularly or not) and it's a way to discuss class assignments when you can't meet up with your group members in a class.  If you're having trouble getting contact with someone in other ways, you will probably be able to get a response on Facebook.

Things That Make Me Happy

1. Lord of the Rings- I know, you're all shocked and surprised.  But these books mean a lot to me.
2. A Good Cup of Tea- This is probably one of the most relaxing things ever . . . other than a good shoulder massage.  It's perfect with a good book on a rainy or snowy day.
3. Comfortable Shoes- See my post about heels here.  There's something comforting about slipping your feet into a pair of broken-in sneakers.
4. New Journals- They're just so pretty!
5. A Good Book- I know this is similar to #1, but on a broader scale.  Lord of the Rings is a good book . . . a great book . . . but not all good books were written by Tolkien.  There are other great authors like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis, Shakespeare . . .
6. Hoodies- They're warm, soft and comfortable.  They're perfect for this time of year when it's too cold to just wear a T-shirt, but not cold enough for a coat.
7. Yarn- I bet you saw this one coming, too.  Sadly, I haven't had much time to play with this woolly substance lately, but some nice merino or alpaca can make my day.
8. Pillows- The fluffy ones.  Need I say more?  I didn't think so.
9. Cheesecake- I don't know what it is about this delightful dessert, but I find it hard to turn down good cheesecake.  Especially if it happens to be from the Cheesecake Factory.
10. Pens- Perhaps it's the writer in me, but I cherish a good pen that writes well and mourn it when it dies.

Please not that these are things . . . objects.  Since they are not objects, the people that make me happy don't make it onto this list.  Maybe they will get their own post sometime in the future; I don't know.  We'll have to see.

To My Computer

Dear Computer,

I know we've had a rough couple of months.  I've spent hours trying to figure out why you haven't been running like you used to.  You probably don't want to hear it, but you're getting old for a laptop.  I've been trying to help you, but you still come close to crashing.  I know I've been looking at other computers.  Yes, yes, even while I'm with you . . . I'm sorry, ok?  But I would miss you if you crashed.  We've been through so much together.  Remember that time where you got the virus and I took you to the IT department on campus?  Ok, so maybe it was my fault you got the virus to begin with, but I got you better, right?  But you really should watch out about whose Ethernet cable you use . . . You never know who could have the internet STDs . . .

Anyway, please take care of yourself.  We've spent so much time together over the last couple of months; I'd be sad if you just spontaneously died.  Take care of yourself.

Sincerely,

Laurie

Ok, so I've been having some trouble with my computer, if you couldn't tell.  That on top of being completely overwhelmed by writing assignments has made keeping up with the blog difficult.  Never fear, though.  I have some posts in the works that need to be finished and polished up and the summer is coming.  Hopefully, I'll be working at a day camp in addition to my Dairy Queen job so I may have interesting stories to share.  I wish everyone luck with the rest of their semesters, if you happen to be in school.  Just remember: we're over halfway there!

Staying on My Toes

Like any stereotypical female, I think I have a bit of a thing for shoes.  This doesn't mean that I have dozens and dozens of shoes, but I enjoy the concept of having a closet full of fancy shoes to choose from.  I must say, though, that I'm not very comfortable in heels.  Now, I am aware that shoes with high heels are not designed for comfort.  If you really think about it, they're kind of the opposite . . . they have the potential to cause back and knee problems, arthritis, and other injuries.  Yet women continue to wear them. 

I guess I have an advantage over some, being in the relatively tall category.  There's very little chance for me to be mistaken for somebody younger, and I rarely feel the need to make myself taller.  To be honest, I kind of feel out of place when I'm wearing heels . . . I don't feel like myself.  I like the idea of them and maybe sort of wish I could have that relaxed strut that the models on the runway have in their shoes.  I can't go to a shoe store without trying some on (just because I can). 

These shoes wouldn't be as much of an issue if it wasn't necessary to walk in them.  Guys seem to find something extremely attractive about seeing a woman walking in heels, but it just comes off as extremely awkward to me.  As someone who takes larger steps, heels make me feel slow and unsteady--making it impossible to achieve a tall, confident walk.  They throw off my posture and I start looking at the ground instead of upwards because I'm afraid of my shoes getting caught in a crack and making me trip.  Which totally messes up the shoulders thrown back, head up, confident woman-walk that's supposed to come with wearing heels.  It definitely takes practice to be able to wear them, but are they worth that practice?  I can get a pair of flats that are just as cute and more comfortable.  This is probably just another fashion trend that sort of goes over my head.  I'd take my flats over stilettos any day.

Adventure in the Supermarket

I think there comes a time in everyone's life when one must go to the grocery store and run errands for one's parents.  Suddenly, you are a licensed driver deemed mature enough to wield your parent's credit card in order to do the shopping that they themselves do not feel like or do not have the time for doing.  I have reached this point in my life.

January 15th is my little brother's birthday.  Since his birthday is on a Saturday this year, my mother decided to have his birthday party on his actual birthday.  As she was running around getting things ready for this party, she sent me to the supermarket to pick up four hoagies, a carton of strawberries, a pack of hamburger buns, and a bag of ice.  After some confusion about the hoagies and wandering around the store in search of the ice, I proceeded to the self-checkout.  

At this point, I was looking around nervously and half-expecting someone to tackle me.  "You're not Penny," they would scream.  "How dare you steal your mother's credit card!!!"  And then my mom would have to bail me out of jail in order to get her hoagies.  But, I made it through the checkout without incident (except for the challenge of fitting four two-foot hoagies, a ten pound bag of ice, a carton of strawberries, and a bag of hamburger buns on the tiny bagging shelf without the computer flipping out at me).

From there, I proceeded to the parking lot where I couldn't find my car (eh . . . well . . . my mom's car but you get the point).  I realized that it was in the next aisle of cars and that there was no way for me to get through them without going majorly out of my way with a very noisy cart.  First, I tried putting the cart in the cart return and attempted to carry everything.  That didn't work.  Not a chance.  so, backwards I went, back towards the supermarket, back into the pathway of crazy weekend drivers. Then I loaded up the car and I went home.

I'm back at school now, though, trying to get back into the swing of things.  Trying to get used to getting up at a normal hour of the morning.  But, it feels good to have stuff to occupy my time again.  I realized just how much I missed the people here.  Currently, I'm typing on a mac in the library computer lab because my computer absolutely fails.  Since I got back to campus, it hasn't been able to long onto the campus wireless (in addition to a bunch of issues that it had over the course of winter break).  At the moment, I'm caught in a bit of a catch-22.  The program that we use to access the wi-fi doesn't like the anti-virus AVG (Why?  Who knows?).  AVG being my anti-virus of choice, I wasn't able to log on.  So, I uninstalled the program with the plan of downloading a different anti-virus as soon as I could access the internet.  However, now that I don't have an anti-virus, I can't log in to go on the internet.  As a result, I don't have any pretty pictures to show you.  Were I on my own computer, I would have a picture of the project I was working on at the end of winter break.  This means that you must be content with this:

All hail the heavenly ball of yarn.  That's right, be jealous.

Of Wool and Teapots

Not to be confused with woolly teapots . . . Yeah, I don't know either.  As you can see, I'm trying to live up to the "blog post a week" plan.  Or trying to, anyway.  I go back to school a week from now and classes start up again on the 18th.  My first batch of textbooks came in today.  Part of me is looking forward to a new set of classes and getting back into the swing of classes, homework, and friends.  I start my education classes this semester, too.  It's going to be an interesting semester . . .

In other news, I got a teapot.  My sister and I took a trip to the local Goodwill a couple days ago.  I went in search of a teapot, and came up with this pretty little thing:

I also found the mug behind it, which is also kind of cute.  You probably can't tell in the picture, but each stripe has a different kind of tea written on it.  And they're sitting on my cleaner-than-normal-but-still-cluttered desk.  With the bonsai tree and a sculpture I made in high school.  Anyway, I'm very satisfied with my thrift store prowess.  Over the summer, I found my Brita pitcher at another local thrift store. 

On another note, I started knitting another hat.  Unfortunately, I haven't gotten the chance to take an in-progress picture yet, but I will get a picture eventually.  This time, I'm trying my hand at designing.  I'm going patternless, but I will say that cables are involved.

Have a splendid week and enjoy the snow!

10 Big Things That Happened in 2010

I was just looking at the list of things that happened in 2009 (you can see it here).  This past year hasn't been nearly as eventful as last year, but it has certainly had its ups and downs.  Let's take a look, shall we?

1. Second year of college- I made it through an entire year!  They say that one in four freshmen drop out of college.  I've beaten the statistic.
2. I continued working at Dairy Queen- It's a great place to work.  I almost wish we were open all-year round so I could work there over Christmas break.
3. I've met more awesome people while at college- Who knew?
4. I met my awesome boyfriend- They say it sneaks up when you're least expecting it.  I most certainly not looking when we met.
5. I took on some really challenging classes and came out on top- There were some times I didn't think I would make it, but I pulled off a B average and a B+ in my first 400-level class.
6. I started the process of getting an apartment for next fall- Me and a couple of friends.  We're going to have an awesome place next year!
7. I got my ears pierced again- I've been thinking about it for a while, and I finally got a second set of ear piercings with my roommate (she got her cartilage pierced at the same time).
8. I cleared two bags-worth of stuff out of my room at home- and gave away more stuff.  I'm such a pack rat.  I'm still trying to let things go that I don't really need.
9. I discovered my love for tea- And I have taken steps to provide myself with tasty options to drink.  I do have to credit my mom and the person mention in #4 for giving me a lot of it for Christmas.
10. I started running over the summer- By August, I could run a mile nonstop.  I've lost it after sitting on my butt for the last couple of months, but I've learned that I can do it.

I've learned a lot over the course of the last year.  But, this is all behind me with another promising year ahead.  I'm not really one to make New Years' Resolutions, but here are some goals that I would like to set for 2011:

1. Go to the gym three days a week
2. Read more
3. Work on accessory and jewelry designs
4. Edit and submit a short story to be published
5. Write and draw more in general
6. Write at least one blog post per week

Usually, my resolutions go out the window in a matter of days, but these are things that mean a lot to me.  Hopefully, I can make them last longer . . . I hope everyone had an awesome New Years!