International Heart Break

Location: Brad's couch
Listening to: 30 Rock

I am heartbroken. The Financial Aid department broke my heart.

I don't know if I mentioned this to you guys, but I had the opportunity to take a class next semester that would take a 3-week trip around Ireland over the summer. I was so excited, because it counted for my major and my favorite professor is leading it and I've always, always wanted to go to Ireland.

The trip is pretty expensive, but I was confident that I would be able to get enough financial aid to justify paying the rest out of pocket. The deadline to drop the class without having to pay the cost of the trip was the 9th, but today was the earliest I could get my financial aid appointment.

I spent all week thinking my appointment was at 1:30 p.m., so I wasn't worried when I woke up at 9:30, until I looked at the note I made on my laptop and realized that my appointment was actually supposed to be at 9:00 and I had completely missed it.

So I called the Financial Aid people, and they let me have my appointment via phone. And that's when the lady told me, "Sorry, hun, but we can't give you any money for your trip so I would advise you to drop it unless you have the money saved up or your parents are willing to take out $4,000-5,000 in loans."

And now I have to find someone to take my spot on the trip or I have to pay for it whether or not I can actually go.

Blagagghghghghghghhhhhhhhh.

On the bright side, my boyfriend is wonderful and has spent all day trying to cheer me up, and my boss is wonderful and told me if she had the money she would pay for my trip, and also gave me a nice little Christmas present. And since I can't go on the trip any more, I can focus on saving up for an apartment and I can actually be here to help move my stuff into an apartment this summer and I won't miss Brad's birthday now and I can spend those three weeks that I would otherwise have been gone working and saving up money.

But I wish I could still go.

:(

An Apology/Why isn't it winter yet?

Location: Brad's couch
Listening to: Serendipity on TV (best movie ever)
Followers: More than I had before

You guys, I am so sorry that it's been about fifty billion years since I've posted. Thanks to those of you who stuck around, and to those of you who started following me even though I hadn't posted in forever. I don't even have an excuse for not posting. I haven't been incredibly busy. I haven't had a traumatic life experience that made me terrified of blogs. There was a brief period where I didn't have a charger for my laptop, so that kind of sucked, but it only lasted about two days, so I can't even use that as an excuse.

I hope you forgive me.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, we reach my reason for blogging today: It is December. Technically it is winter. But there is no snow.

I do not know what winter is like for those of you who live in places that don't ever get snow, although if it is anything like this, I don't know how you do it year after year. In my home town, we usually have a good six inches of snow before November even begins, let alone December. Even at school last year by this time I'm pretty sure we had had at least one snow day. So this lack of snow is getting me down.

I know I've probably mentioned this before, but there is nothing that I think is as pretty as snow. I love winter, because everything is sparkly and magical. I love driving around at night and looking at Christmas decorations in people's yards and marveling at how beautiful they are glinting off of the snow.

It's so weird not having that right now. But I guess I just have to be patient.

What is it like for those of you who never get snow? I've never lived somewhere that never snows, so I can't imagine it.

More later.

Her-my-oh-knee

Location: Brad's apartment
Listening to: Van Helsing

Guess who I was for Halloween? I bet you'll never figure it out. Especially if you love a certain series about a fictional wizard. You'll never guess!!!*

This weekend my friend Nicole was in town visiting me, so we obviously spent the weekend hanging out and eating terribly. Yesterday she, my old roommate Allison, Brad, Brad's friend Kent and I went to see a midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show.

And. It. Was. Amazing.

I had never seen RHPS in a theater, so I was really excited when we found a theater nearby that was showing it. I've always wanted to attend one of the cult showings of it where people dress up and throw things at the screen. And that's exactly what I got.

No one was really dressed up in the costumes of characters from the movie, but lots of people were wearing costumes of some sort. And I'm still picking rice out of my hair from the wedding scene.

It was pretty great.

(Random side note: Does anyone know how to reattach keys to your computer keyboard? My left-side CTRL key (which is the only CTRL key I use) fell off a few months ago and will not reattach, no matter how hard I try to push it back into it's place. It's really obnoxious, because whenever I want to bold or italicize or underline anything, I have to very carefully push my detached key or try to find the one on the right side, which is very obnoxious.)

How was your Halloween, internet? Did you dress up as anything scary/cute/ridiculous? Did you go to any crazy haunted houses, parties, or corn mazes? Did you go trick-or-treating, even though you are most likely way older than normal trick-or-treaters? Tell me your plans! Describe your costumes! I want to hear all about it!

*Ok. For those of you who couldn't figure it out from the picture, I was Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. Brad was Ron, and there is a pretty cute picture of the two of us together, but I don't want to plaster his image all over the internet and inspire girls to want to steal him from me. :)

ROAAAAADDDD TRIIIIPPPPP!

Location: Brad's couch
Listening to: How Do I Look?


You guys! I just realized that I never told you about my epic road trip from last month! Oh my gosh. Let me correct that.

My friend Jess and I love the movie Fanboys. It's about a bunch of geeks who road trip out to Skywalker Ranch in California to try to steal a copy of Star Wars Episode 1 before it is released in theaters because their friend has cancer and they want to make sure he gets to see it. One of the stops on their trip is Riverside, Iowa, where they take some time to make fun of Star Trek fans.*

As an homage to our favorite movie, we decided to make a mini-road trip, just to Riverside (because we're broke college kids and Iowa is the closest place to where we're from) to enjoy the eccentricities of this town that has named itself the future birthplace of Captain Kirk.

After hours upon hours of driving through corn fields**, we arrived at our destination. We stopped at a Star Trek memorabilia museum where a very kind lady direct us to the sites of Riverside. After a short walk down the main street and behind a hair salon, we found the above place marker.

Yes, that's right. I stood on the spot where Captain Kirk will be born. Jealous?

In the parking lot of the museum, there was the S.S. Riverside.

And in a bar where we watched an Iowa State football game and ate some delicious burgers, there was this lovely plaque.

In case you can't read it, it says "Captain James T. Kirk was conceived at this point on June 22, 2227. And it's under a pool table. Classy, right? Jess and I made bets on how many couples are going to try to get busy under there on that date just to see if their progeny will be one of the great space captains of all time.

Anyway, it was pretty fantastic. We also stopped at a Swedish heritage museum in Swedesville that we're pretty sure was haunted.

Have you ever taken a cool or random road trip? What kinds of things did you see or discover on your adventure? This may have been my first real road trip, but it just may become an annual thing.

More later!

-Abbie

*Don't hate me if you love Star Trek. I like it. We didn't go to mock Star Trek fans. I promise!
**Fact: Iowa is probably the most boring state to drive through besides New Hampshire.

Birthdays and other nice things

Location: Brad's couch
Listening to: Doctor Who

So, on Wednesday I turned 20. No longer a teenager. One year away from being able to legally do more things than I can legally do now. It was a pretty great day. Brad and I went to a nearby town and had lunch at Olive Garden and played with puppies at a pet store and bought Gryffindor ties for our Ron/Hermione Halloween costumes. Then he surprised me by inviting some of my friends over for cake that night. And it was lovely. :)

I don't really have any deep insights yet as to what it feels like to not be a teenager. As far as I can tell, 20 is not any different from 19, except now my boyfriend can feel a bit better because he is no longer a 23-year-old dating a teenager. But if I come up with anything deep and exciting, I'll let you know.

I've recently gotten addicted to Doctor Who. On the weekends when I'm by myself and bored, I just sit around and watch seasons straight through. It's hilarious and suspenseful and has cheesy special effects that make me smile. I love the romantic subplots that pop up occasionally, and David Tennant as The Doctor cracks me up.

If you haven't seen it, I suggest you give it a shot. It's on Netflix. Watch at least the first 3 episodes before you give up on it. If you liked Buffy or like sci-fi type shows or have a sense of humor, you'll probably enjoy it.

That's it for me, I suppose. What have you guys been up to? It's been a while since I posted or since I really got a chance to catch up on reading what you guys are posting. So let me know how life's going!

Ravenclaw

Location: Work
Listening to: Professors discuss summer coarses
Days Without Fast Food: 4

MY POTTERMORE ACCOUNT FINALLY OPENED!

And I must say, I'm pretty impressed with the website. If you ignore the fact that it tends to get overloaded with people and kicks you out occasionally, it's a lot of fun. You get to walk through the chapters of the books and find information J.K. Rowling planned out, but never published. You take quizzes Rowling wrote to be chosen by your wand and to be sorted into your house.

You find out a lot of really cool stuff, and it's really interesting.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share my excitement. If you get an account, add me when it opens!

OakMidnight50

More later!

Fake Birthdays

Location: Work
Listening to: Typing
Days Without Fast Food: 3

You guys. I know I gush about my boyfriend a lot (really, I try to hold it in, but sometimes it just swells up inside me and explodes out of my fingertips and into my blog), and I know I'm probably a teeny bit biased because I am dating him, but I am here to make a sweeping declaration:

My boyfriend is the best boyfriend in the world.

Argue if you must, but I honestly can not think of any ways that any boyfriend other than mine could possibly be the best. I'll probably give him a trophy for it, or something. And here is why:

So, my birthday is coming up in a few weeks. And for the past month or so, Brad has been teasing me about the great and fabulous present he was planning on getting me. Now, my curiosity, once piqued, is a force that cannot be stopped. I wheedled for hints and made absurd guesses (the most common of which was a puppy, with absolutely no evidence that that was possibly the gift).

And then the other day, he left work and came home with a giant stack of boxes wrapped in Tangled (one of my favorite movies) wrapping paper.* He teased me about having to wait 3 weeks until my birthday to open them, saying I'd have to just sit and stare at the boxes until my real birthday. Which was fine by me, because I was excited that he even got me anything, and I didn't even care about the presents that much, I just wanted to know what was in them.

But he got really excited to give them to me. And I was beyond curious about what they were. So we decided to make yesterday my fake birthday. After classes and after he was done with his day, we would go back to the apartment and I would get to open my presents (all non-present related birthday activity is being saved for my real birthday).

So after my class, I meet him at the campus radio station and hang out while he records the baseball podcast he does with some friends every week, and then we went home.

And I opened the door.

And on the desk was a bouquet of pink roses, and a card saying "To the girl I love."**

And he told me to open the card. And in the card was a clue. All of my presents were hidden around the apartment, and I had to go on a scavenger hunt to find them. Which was awesome.

So I went through all of the cards, opening presents along the way.

And you guys, my boyfriend is the most thoughtful guy ever. Every time we're in a store and we walk past socks, I always go on a rant about how I loovvveee warm and fuzzy socks because my feet are always freezing. So he got me two pairs of fuzzy socks.

And he made me a mix CD of a bunch of songs that I love and that remind him of me and that are significant to our relationship in some way or another.

And he got me a season of How I Met Your Mother (which happens to be both of our favorite shows).

And. Well. Backstory first.

So, when I graduated high school, my parents got me a Kindle (which I had asked for), but after I had it, I was not impressed. It didn't feel like a book. It didn't look like a book when I turned the pages. It didn't do anything other than let me read books. But I love the concept of an e-reader where I can have tons of books at my fingertips and not have to lug them all around.

So recently, I'd been looking at the Nook. And it's come a long way from the first version, which wasn't much different than the Kindle. Now it's in color and you can get magazines and apps and all kinds of fun stuff. And I'd decided that I was going to save up for one and maybe get myself one for Christmas (or whenever I had the extra cash laying around), all of which Brad knew.

So, I open the last present.

And.(I bet you can guess what's next).

It's a Nook.

And I freaked out and got really excited and insisted that he shouldn't have spent that much money on me but told him I was too happy to have it to let him take it back and overall just being a spazz.

So, pretty much it was the best fake birthday anyone has ever had ever in the history of the world.

And my boyfriend is the best boyfriend anyone has had ever in the history of the world. Not because he spent money on me. I would still think the exact same thing if he hadn't gotten me anything for my birthday. He is the best because he gets me. And he is my best friend. And he makes me laugh. And he makes me feel like the luckiest girl ever. And he loves me. And he gives me butterflies, even after a year together.

And he is the best. And he deserves an award. (Especially because he puts up with me, and I can be a handful sometimes.)

Anyway. That's my big, happy story for the day. I hope you're all having wonderful days as well.
More later. :)

*One was actually wrapped in the cardboard-ish paper that the tube had been made of because he'd run out of wrapping paper. Which I thought was genius.

**He hates cards, so I gave him a lot of crap at this point about the fact that he got me one when he'd expressly forbidden me from ever getting him any kind of cards ever.

New Hobby

Location: Awesome fort
Listening to: Family guy
Days Without Fast Food: 0

Hey guys! How's it going? I hope those of you back at school are having a good time with your pursuits, and I hope those of you in the real world are having a fun and successful time being grown-ups.

Me? I'm having a night of reverting to my 5-year-old self with my boyfriend. Last fall, Brad and I built a pretty epic fort in his old apartment. Tonight, we decided to top it and build one consuming almost the entirety of his new place. It's fantastic.

We also made chocolate chip pancakes, got chocolate Oreos, and are planning on eating them with chocolate milk.

Yummmm.

After tonight, we are planning on being super healthy because...well...neither of us wants to get diabetes. (This is also the reason I am tracking my fast food now. Because I eat wayyy too much of it and I'm hoping to shame myself into cutting down.)

Anyway, he's off doing other things at the moment, so I'm sitting in the fort by myself and I have come up with a new hobby.

Blog, meet Tumblr. I hope you get along. :) If you have a tumblr page, add me! If you don't, feel free to check it out, anyway. It's pretty much just going to be full of things that I Stumble and find beautiful or amusing, but if you like the stuff I post here, I'm pretty sure you'll like what I've got going on there.

But yeah. That's pretty much it. I haven't done anything exciting. I might be going to Ireland in the summer, but I don't want to jinx it, so I'm gonna wait to talk about that until things are more solid.

So stay tuned!

More later. :)

Dear Pottermore

Location: Dorm futon
Listening to: How I Met Your Mother and my neighbors talking

Dear Pottermore;

I am really excited to meet you. Like, excessively excited. You are a big, lightning-bolt-shaped mystery to me and I would like nothing more than to discover your each and every secret. I spent minutes upon minutes checking the registration page during early registration week, always missing it, until one day. One day, my super amazing boyfriend called me and said, "Guess what I just did?"

I had no guesses. But it was ok, because he was ready with the answer.

"REGISTERED US FOR POTTERMORE!"

I was beyond excited. Early access to the most anticipated website I've ever...anticipated? Awesome!

But, Pottermore, we're beginning to face a few problems. See, you should be alerting me aannnnyyyyy day now about when I can access you. That's what you told me. You said, "You should be hearing from us sometime between mid-August and early September."*

But I haven't heard from you. And it's early September. And I start classes tomorrow, so I won't have so much excessive free time to dedicate to you. So, I really, really need you to alert me, oh, like, right now. Because my roommate isn't here right now and my boyfriend is at work and all I have to occupy me is the internet and the TV, and, frankly, the internet isn't offering me much.

Please, Pottermore. I just want to get to know you.

Sincerely,
OakMidnight15

*This isn't actually a direct quote. It probably shouldn't be in quotes. But I think that's close enough to what it actually said for it to count. I'm definitely the future of journalism...lol.

Back on Campus

Location: Work
Listening to: Nothing
Days til Move In: -1
Followers: 47

First of all, welcome Ash and Sydney! There are few things I enjoy as much as seeing that new people are following me. Well, my blog. I get creeped out if people are literally following me. But you know what I mean. Thanks!

Second of all, thank you to everyone who gave me great advice on my PC/Mac debate. It sounds like PC is the way to go for my situation, but if you have other thoughts or opinions, I would love to hear them!

Anyway, I am back on campus. I love being on campus. Seriously. It's awesome to be back around so many people and in a place where I can see my boyfriend and my friends as frequently as I want.

I'm pretty sure this year is going to be fantastic. Why, you ask? Oh, I'll tell you why!

Why This Year Is Going To Rock:

-My job. I am at work right now, and I am blogging. And Facebooking. All I have to do today is answer the phone and take messages. I can take a break whenever I want for however long I want. It pretty much rules. I doubt every day will be like this, because I haven't been trained for anything yet, but I bet some days will. And that's good enough for me.

-My roommate. I'm living with a random person this year, and so far, I think we're going to get along really well. She's a junior (I'm a sophomore), and she's super friendly and nice and fun and we seem to have a good amount in common. She's going to introduce me to TrueBlood (which I haven't ever seen yet, but really, really want to).

-My friends. I already have plans with a few of my friends to hang out and stuff. And I'm really excited. Because they're really awesome.

-My boyfriend. He is the best ever. And I get to see him every day. And it is wonderful and amazing and makes me super happy.

-My class schedule. No class til 2 p.m. on Monday and no class at all on Friday. So I pretty much have a four day weekend.

Pretty much, it is the greatest thing ever. And I'm really excited.

How are things going for those of you headed back to school? Are you looking forward to your classes and things? Or do you wish summer wasn't ending?

Mac or PC?

Location: Bedroom floor
Listening to: HP & The Half-Blood Prince
Days Til College: 3!!!
Followers: 45!!!!!!!

WELCOME NICOLE!!!! :) It makes me happy that you decided to follow my random musings. Thanks!

You guys. I have a dilemma. My current laptop is an ancient, dinosaur of a Dell that used to belong to my mom before she got a new computer last year for her business and decided, instead of gifting me a new computer for college, I could have her hand-me-down one. This thing is at least 5 years old and still runs on Windows XP. The keys are literally falling off and refusing to reattach. Every once in a while, the fan makes this terrible wheezing sound, like it's seriously considering just giving up and dying right now.

In other words, it's time to start looking for something new.

My problem lies in deciding what kind of laptop I want to buy when I have the money to buy a new one. All I really use my computer for is sitting on Facebook or blogging, writing papers, listening to music, and occasionally playing games, which any PC can do.

But, with a future career in journalism, one day I might need to run Photoshop or InDesign or other big, graphic-design-ish programs that I learned how to use on a Mac and that Macs are generally more capable of handling.

As my mom likes to remind me, if I ever have an in-house job at a newspaper, they will most likely provide me with the computer and programs I need to accomplish my job, so I could easily just get the less-expensive option now and just be bestowed a new one when I graduate and get a job. But, if I end up having to freelance, I'll need to get the computer and programs on my own, so it might make more sense to get what would be most practical in the future now, just in case.

And computers are always, always changing and there's always something bigger and more capable coming out.

And I'm working on a pretty limited budget. If I get a PC, I could afford one by Thanksgiving. If I go for a Mac, I'd have to wait longer.

The whole thing just kind of blows my mind.

I really need your help, guys. Are any of you tech whizzes who can break down the differences (performance-wise and cost-wise) between Macs and PCs for me? Because that would be extremely helpful. If you're not a tech whiz, which do you use: Mac or PC? What do you love and hate about it? Which would you recommend to someone like me?

And do you have any recommendations for a specific model (Mac or PC) that you think would fit my needs? Because I really have no clue where to start with this.

Sorry for a post that only begs for your help. I promise I'll write something to amuse you soon!

New (School) Year's Resolution

Location: Bedroom floor
Listening to: Kaleidescope Heart by Sara Bareilles.
Days til I move: 10

First things first, sorry about the abrupt end to my last post! After a few surgeries for broken bones, my cousin and his girlfriend are both fine. They apparently got in a several-car crash and had to be air lifted to a hospital. My cousin has been discharged and his girlfriend only has a few more days to stay. Thank you for your concerns!

The other day at work, I made pretty much the best decision of my life after one of the girls gave me her cell number when she learned I was leaving to go back to school in a few days and I kind of thought, "Wow, I actually made a friend."

I used to be really outgoing and boisterous and bubbly alllllllll of the time. Then, my senior year, I started getting really bad anxiety and missed a lot of school because we didn't know what was causing my weirdly rapid heart beat and for most people, out of sight means out of mind, so when I got back, I was kind of surprised to learn that most of my friends...weren't really my friends anymore.

Since then, I kind of withdrew into myself a little. I started feeling awkward around people and worrying too much if they liked me or if they were even listening to what I was saying (one time at a bonfire, I was in the middle of a story when I realized everyone was tuned out, so I just stopped talking and no one even said anything and anytime anything like that has happened since, it slays me) and started turning back into the shy kid I used to be.

I don't like being shy. It just makes me even more worried about what people think, because I don't want them to think I'm not talking for a reason or that I don't have anything to say or that I don't like them.

So I'm going to stop being shy.

When I'm not worried about what people think about me, I make friends. Not even on purpose. I just be me and then eventually I'm like, "Hey, when did this person go from someone I kind of knew to someone I text and hang out with?" So this year at school, I'm not going to worry.

When I'm around kids in class, I'll talk to the people around me.

When I'm with Brad's friends (who I'm a million times more shy around because it's actually really important to me that they like me), I'll try to join in conversations and actually give more than one word responses.

When I'm around my friends at school, I won't hold back. I'll just be me and if they don't like it, they can deal with it.

I know it's kind of late for a new years resolution, but this is my new school year's resolution. I am going to stop being so shy. I am going to make friends this year. Good friends. The kind you have for life.

Do you guys have any tips for a shy girl turned friendly girl turned shy girl on how to not care so much about what other people are thinking about her? Have you ever been in a situation where you decided you didn't like being a certain way, so you were just going to stop? Leave advice in the comments!

More later. :)

I LOOOOVVVEEEE SCHOOL

Location: Bedroom floor
Listening to: Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire


You guys. I have another new follower. You have no clue how excited I am that so many new people decided they don't hate me this summer. It's definitely brightened things up on my end. Welcome to TayTay! :)

So, believe it or not, but I am more excited to head back to campus than I was to leave for college in the first place. Is this normal? I mean, you guys remember how freakishly excited I was to go last summer, right? I'm kind of shocked that anything could surpass that level of excitement. But I've done it. And here's why.

Reasons I'm More Excited To Go Back To College Than I Was To Go In The First Place:

-I'll actually have a social life. This summer has been beyond boring for me. The only time I ever really saw anyone I wasn't related to was when I went back to my college town to visit Brad. So it'll be great to be back on campus where I have friendships and people I can hang out with and opportunities to meet new friends.

-I'll be able to see my boyfriend as much as my heart desires. I don't care what anyone else says, long distance suucckkkssss. And that's coming from a girl who still got to see her boyfriend every other week. While it's completely worth the effort and I wouldn't have changed anything about this summer (except maybe that I wouldn't have been far away to begin with), being three hours apart was hard. And I am MORE EXCITED THAN I CAN POSSIBLY EXPRESS to be back within walking distance of my wonderful amazing boyfriend and able to spend so much time with him that he'll probably get sick of me. :)

-I'm a nerd. I really like school. Like, I love sitting in classes and learning things. I don't even mind homework that much, usually. I'm super excited for my classes this semester and to once again make an attempt at getting a 4.0 GPA.

-I'm a huge nerd. This year, I scored myself a job in the Communication department office where I'll get to be make photocopies and file things and get to know all the professors in my home department. And I'm really excited to do that. Because, and I know this is lame, but I think it'd be cool to be friends with my professors. Or at least for them to know who I am for once instead of just being a face in a class that they teach every semester, every year.

I'm sure there are more reasons, but I can't think of any at the moment. I was just informed that my cousin and his girlfriend got in a really bad car accident. So, I think that's it for today.

More later.

I Wish I Was A Writer

Location: Couch
Listening to: Dr. House be fabulously snarky

So, I just finished reading a book that made me realize how much I respect authors of Historical Fiction.

I mean, I love and respect all genres of writing. I know it's extremely difficult to create people and places and events in your imagination and try to convey them in words that will help other people see them the way you intend. I used to want to be a fiction writer before I decided that journalism is probably a more realistic route to take.

But Historical Fiction is something else. Not only do you have to invent your own characters with their own lives and personal events, but you have to be accurate to the period. And any true events you may include. Because if you're not, people will notice. And they will not be happy.

The series that got me thinking about this is written by the incredible Jennifer Donnelly (the books: Tea Rose, Winter Rose, and Wild Rose). Without giving too much away (because these books are fabulous and intricate and wonderful and you should read them yourself without me spoiling them for you), each book follows different members of a family over the course of 40 or so years, starting in the late 1800's and ending in the 1920's.

The first book focuses on Fionna Finnegan, a young woman working at a tea factory in the 1880's in Whitechapel while Jack the Ripper roams the streets. The second follows India Selwyn Jones, an aspiring doctor, and Sid Malone, East London crime lord at the turn of the century. The third, Willa Alden, mountaineer, and Seamus Finnegan, adventurer, around the time of the first World War.

It just astounds me that anyone could incorporate real events and people into their fictional world. Sometimes it seems like it could be easy, because history has written parts of your plot for you. Other times, it's unbelievable that anyone can figure out how to incorporate a true story and one of their own invention so seamlessly you find yourself Google-ing fictional characters to see if they really did the things that the author said they did.

Mostly, I'm in awe of anyone who can write more than 20 pages about a topic and have it make sense and be enjoyable to read. That's a pretty cool talent.

Is there a certain genre of writing that you admire more than others? What do you think would be the hardest thing to write? What do you think would be the easiest? Leave your answers in the comments!

More later!

Post Script

Location: Bedroom floor
Listening to: Nothing

YOU GUYS. I ALMOST FORGOT. (Well, I did forget, which is why I'm posting this part now instead of with my last post which you should definitely read, don't ignore it because this one is here.)

Death By Roller Coasters? Yeah, that was my 200th post. No big deal. :)

Also, Allyson, I was too afraid to try Superman because I didn't want to be facing the ground the whole time, but Brad really, really wanted to go on it, so I promised I'd try it next time.

HMWeasley, I am soooo pumped that I like roller coasters now, because I hopefully will be visiting Harry Potter World in the spring!

JW - Of course you are wonderful. You read my blog. :p

Death By Roller Coaster

Location: Bedroom floor
Listening to: Nothing. How boring.
Followers: 43!!!!!!!

Wow, you guys! I'm gone for a few days and suddenly I have several new followers. Welcome to Kali, Jay, and Jordan! I bet you're all wonderful. :)

Recently, I have had some pretty big adventures. Mostly involving roller coasters.

Until last Tuesday, I had never ever been on a roller coaster before in my entire life. I'd been to a few amusement parks where they had them, but I was always a huge chicken and refused to go on anything more adventurous than the carousel or the ride where you sit in a swing that gently lifts you off the ground while flying in a circle.

But, because of a deal made with Bradly, I had to go on roller coasters. And I could only veto two of his choices.

The first one I went on was a pretty basic kids roller coaster. It went fast and tipped you sideways and had some sharp corners, but nothing too dramatic. The second one had a few loops, but I survived.

But the third one. The third one terrified me, but Brad said it was the one that I absolutely could not veto. I don't know if you've heard of it. It's called "Raging Bull". It brings you up 208 feet, lets you hover for a second, then drops you almost straight down, then resumes to be like most non-loop roller coasters with lots of twists and sideways-tipping at ridiculous fast speeds.

Now, my least favorite part of coasters (except for loops, but I'll get to that later) is the ride to the top of the first drop. It's slow. They let the anticipation build. My heart feels like it's going to explode out of my chest. I hate the feeling of laying nearly straight back facing up at the sky, getting higher and higher, knowing that when the climbing stops, I'm going to be plummeted. It doesn't help that I'm also terrified of heights.

We stood in line for about 45 minutes, then got seated in a car pretty close to the front. We start our ascent, and Brad is next to me trying to distract me from what is happening and what is coming, but I'm having none of that. I'm clutching his hand hard enough to break it, muttering over and over about how terrified I am and how I'm going to die and how did I let him take me on this? Soon, we're at the top. They give a short drop, then plunge you down further than you climbed (the platform where you start is a few stories up, plus the track goes through a tunnel in the ground). It feels like you're dropping straight down, like you're going to fall out of your seat.

It was terrifying.

It was awesome.

The rest of the ride was just really fast and lots of quick turns, and I came off of it smiling, not being able to believe how much fun I'd just had. We ended up going on it twice.

My least favorite ride of the day: Batman. It's a coaster where you're sitting with your legs dangling, the harness attached to the track above your head. It has lots of loops, but instead of going along the inside of the loop like a normal roller coaster, you are on the outside, getting flipped upside-down with you're legs just flailing wildly above you. I didn't hate it, but it made me really dizzy and I was terrified the whole time. I didn't like my legs dangling freely. It freaked me out.

Have you ever been on any crazy roller coasters? Or do you hate them? What is your favorite ride and what is your least favorite? Let me know in the comments!

How To Get People To Read Your Blog

Location: Bedroom floor
Listening to: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Not to sound conceited, but after over a year maintaining this lovely little explosion of my mind we call a "blog", I feel like I'm kind of a pro at blogging and the internet in general. And I know I tend to find myself shamelessly trying to find ways to tempt/lure/trick people into reading/following my page. After very little research and lots of dumb luck and avid following of other people's blogs, I believe I hold the secrets of How To Get People To Read Your Blog. And, because I love you all so much, Internet, I am going to share them with you.

How To Get People To Read Your Blog

1.) Mention Harry Potter.  Two of the most-read posts I have posted were about Harry Potter. Go figure. It's not like everyone doesn't love HP. If you would like to shamelessly trick people into reading your blog, talk about Harry Potter. Make a list of what you hate/love about the books or movies or characters or just ramble about your thoughts on such subjects. I bet you that just mentioning those two words will get people to take a peek at your post.

2.) Have a successful YouTube channel. The first few people who's blogs I started to read were members of Five Awesome Girls (5AG), a ridiculously popular YouTube channel featuring five equally popular YouTubers (that makes them sound kind of like potatoes...) who had been posting videos practically since the website came into existence. If I hadn't seen their videos, I would not have known to look for/at their blogs. Thus comes Tip #2: Get popular on YouTube, and your blog popularity will follow.

3.) Get spots guest-blogging on other, more popular blogs. My most-read post is one that I linked to from a post I got to write for Keltie Colleen, a dancer with a pretty popular blog. So, if anyone you follow who has lots of readers ever mentions looking for guest bloggers, jump on that. Write a post for them, mention one of your other posts and link to it, and readers will follow.

4.) Casually mention to your friends that you have a secret blog you don't want any of them to read. This should be kind of self-explanatory. If you tell people that you have a secret and that you don't want them to do something, they will want to do it. Reverse psychology. Try it. I haven't, but it sounds logical.

5.) Have no shame. If you are always serious and have no sense of humor and don't share any stories that make you seem human, people aren't going to be able to relate. So embarrass yourself every once in a while. Tell people about the time your pants ripped all the way down the back in the middle of a crowded party or when you accidentally threw up all over your date. People are kind of creepy and like to reassure themselves that they are not the only ones who do stupid things, so if you offer them stories that will make them feel better about themselves, they'll be hooked.

6.) Comment endlessly on other people's blogs.  Being friendly helps you get friends. When you comment on other people's blogs, often times they feel obliged to comment on yours as well. Maybe they'll read and actually enjoy your posts. Maybe their readers will see your comment, think you sound witty, and wander on over to your page. Maybe the blogger will like you so much, they will mention you in their blog or let you guest blog (and give you a chance to try #3).

7.) Offer advice that appeals to your target audience. Reviews. Relationship tips. Lists of things to do. Things people should try. Things you would warn against trying. Whatever. If you offer advice that might help someone figure something out somewhere, someone is going to look at it.

8.) Post pictures of and stories about your baby. The world loves babies. If you have a baby (or are going to have a baby), take pictures and tell people about your experiences. How, when you were pregnant, you always craved pickles and ice cream. How you accidentally went to the ER once because you thought you were going into labor when you were really just constipated. How your baby smiled/laughed/blinked at you the other day. Babies = gold.

9.) Link to other people's websites. If you link to someone else's website, you will be doing them a favor as well as yourself. Your blog could bring them more traffic, just as their page could bring your blog more traffic. If people search for their website, your link will make you show up in the list of pages.

10.) Tag posts with words you KNOW people will search for. Obama. Amy Winehouse. Harry Potter (Tip #1). Whatever is popular at the moment. If you mention it in your blog, tag it. If you don't mention it, maybe don't tag it. I mean, I'm sure you can, but you might just upset people. No one likes a liar.

So, that, my friends, is how you get people to read your blog. How do you get people to read your blog? Do you do anything special that seems to draw in readers? Leave your tips in the comments!

Things I Hated About Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2

Location: Home
Listening to: Parks & Rec

Oh my God, you guys. Words can not describe how incredibly, terribly, horribly disappointed I was in HP&TDH2. If you haven't seen it and do not wish to have your view tainted by my negativity or would care not to see any SPOILERS, I suggest skipping this post.

I have been a fan of Harry Potter practically since I could read. I remember my mom ordering the books off of Amazon after Chamber of Secrets came out because she had heard good things about them. I was in first grade or so. By the end of Sorcerer's Stone, my entire family was hooked and we pre-ordered every book in the series since. When the new books would come, I would snatch them and scurry off to my room to read them in an all-night marathon. I had to read them in one sitting. I refused to talk to anyone or do anything until I had finished.

Harry Potter makes me geek out like no other (as you could probably tell by my excitement when I got my Hogwarts letter). Which is exactly why I hated the last movie.

I was one of many who went to see it at midnight last night. I was super pumped and danced around Brad's apartment like an idiot while I was waiting to leave. I was looking forward to the brilliant movie that I was sure would follow the incredibly accurate HP & The Deathy Hallow pt. 1. (I was also really looking forward to the commemorative 3D glasses).

SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT.

The first 20 or so minutes followed the last movie's trend of nearly spot-on accuracy, forgiving the minor changes that understandably had to take place due to discrepancies in previous movies and the unforgiving time limit.

After Harry, Ron, and Hermione got to Bellatrix LeStrange's Gringots vault, though, it was like a completely different story. The only way I can think of describing it is like playing a game of telephone and being the person who starts the message. You know what the last person is supposed to say, but somehow things got jumbled up in the process and the final result only vaguely resembles what you know to be right. It was like the people who made the movie hadn't read the books, looked up a paragraph summary of the main events, and fudged the rest to get from point A to B. I started compiling the following list in my head. And continued to compile for the next two hours.

Things I Hated About Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2

-Minor things that didn't need to be changed were changed for no reason at all. Hermione comes up with the idea to use the dragon to escape Gringots in the movie, whereas it was Harry's idea in the book. Also, the treasure in the vault was supposed to cause painful burns to anyone who touched it. There was no sign (except for a brief moment after their escape where they all rub some stuff on their hands) that any of them suffered any injury in the attempt. This trend continued throughout the entire movie.

-Major plot points were eliminated or altered nearly to the point of being unrecognizable, apparently to leave enough room for the final, overly CG battle scene where Harry and Voldemort chase each other around Hogwarts. Suddenly it doesn't matter how Dumbledore got the Elder Wand, or what happened to his sister. Harry's search for Ravenclaw's diadem is completely botched. The house elves never come save the day (although, the importance of the house elves was eliminated from the movie series entirely). Grawp just disappeared. The centaurs don't help. You only know that Lupin and Tonks have a child from one passing comment. Voldemort's spells don't seem unaffective on the crowd of Hogwarts fighters, so you never see the proof that he is not the master of the Elder Wand, Harry just randomly comes up with the theory that he is it's true master. Harry snaps the Elder Wand in half at the end and throws it away, not even bothering to repair his broken wand that we know Hermione saved because it was a big deal in the previous movie. 

-Nitpicky things that bothered me: Hermione is suddenly an expert broomstick flyer, despite it supposedly being the one thing she can't do. Hermione and Ron chase Nagini, the snake, around with basilisk fangs for about 15 minutes before Neville just randomly appears to chop it's head off. The underage kids are never sent home. Helena Ravenclaw's back story about the diadem is totally left out and replaced by confusing dialogue. There isn't a big fight scene in the Great Hall, and the statues don't actively fight with the humans (they are sent out to the front lines initially, but you don't see them fighting ever). For some reason Snape's memories he gives to Harry about his mom come out in the form of tears. I could go on....

The movie wasn't completely awful. I mean, I didn't like it, but it had some funny lines and was a well made movie. I love Neville, so seeing him be a badass was fun, and Snape's flashback/penseive made me cry. But that was about the only part I approved of.

I can practically hear you all rolling your eyes and muttering, "Gee, Abbie, tell me how you really feel." As far as I know, I am one of the few people who didn't completely love the movies.

Did any of you see HP7.2 at midnight? Did you dress up or do anything fun to celebrate? What did you think of the movie? Leave your thoughts in the comments! I'm dying to know!

Kindred Spirits

Location: Bedroom floor
Listening to: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Followers: 40!!!

Welcome Hazel and S. Gregory! You guys helped me clear the 30's. Thanks so much. :)

There is one thing that I really love about blogging, and I'm pretty sure you can guess it from the title of this post. I love...getting popular and narcissistically posting details of my daily life and knowing that people are interested in it.

Just kidding. I love how writing a blog has enabled me to find so many people who are so much like me. I have not had one negative encounter in the nearly year and a half I've been writing this. Everyone is so encouraging and happy and cute. You all offer wonderful advice and hilarious anecdotes. Getting comments makes me almost as excited as finding out I have new followers. More so, maybe.

I'm not gonna lie to you guys. This summer has kind of proved to me that I really don't have many friends at home anymore. The group that I considered my best friends has consistently not invited me to anything all summer, though they still continue to hang out with each other and invite new people. I don't know if it's college that has changed them, or changed me, or changed us, but all I know is they don't care about me anymore and, while it bothers me a little in the moments when I find out that all of my friends are at someone's bonfire or movie night, I really don't mind all that much.

The fact is, I consider you all my friends more than those kids I hung out with in high school. I'm sure you know much more about my life from college and this summer, and I'm pretty convinced you care more.

So thanks for being awesome! :)

Sorry for not posting these past few weeks. I've been pretty busy with work and visiting Brad. (We took his 2-year-old nephew to the zoo the last time I visited. It was so much fun.)* Next week I'm heading down to visit him for the entire week. I'm pretty excited.

I think that's about it for now. I'm all worded out. More later.

*That's a bad excuse. I've had a lot of free time between those things. I just haven't felt motivated.

Annoyance.

Location: Bed
Listening to: "Rumor Has It" by Adele

I know everyone has things that annoy them and probably only them. Like, just little things that irk them to the point of wanting to, you know, rip their hair out or throw unnecessarily large objects at people. Whatever.

As it goes, I'm not generally an easily annoyed person. But there are a few things that bother me to no end (some more rationally than others). And I am going to detail them here for you. Just because. :)

1.) Loud chewing. Ok. This is seriously my least favorite thing in the entire world. The sound of people chewing makes me feel like I'm about to gag. I don't know what it is about it, but if I'm near a loud chewer, I get all edgy and annoyed and have to start chewing equally as loudly to counteract their chewing noises. Which is odd, probably. Open-Mouthed-Chewers are just as bad. Not only does it sound disgusting, but you have a disgusting visual.

Keep it in your mouth, people. Your closed mouth.


2.) People who actually call their parents "mother" and "father". In a modern age where everyone abbreviates every word they possibly can, you hardly expect anyone to refer to their parents as Mom and Dad, let alone Mother and Father. My roommate last year would do this, and it struck me as incredibly pretentious. I know it's not something she picked up from her family, because I've hung out around them enough to know that her parents refer to each other as "Mom" and "Dad" in their childrens' presence. It's just a habit that she's affected. She calls them that while speaking to them as well as speaking about them. And it just kind of irked me.


3.) Books where you spot the set up for the twist in the first 20 pages, figure it out, but which you still feel compelled to read. Sadly, this is most books that come out nowadays. With the exceptional few who manage to surprise you and catch you off guard, most books are pathetically predictable. But I always feel the need to read them, anyway. Even if I figure out the twist or resolution or whatever right away, I still want to read to make sure I get it right. But it's not as fun as reading when you have no clue what will happen.


4.) Comic sans. This font should not exist. I don't know anyone who actually likes to use it. The sight of it makes me feel like I've entered a kindergarten nightmare. Because that's what it makes me think of. Kindergarten. And my teacher showing us boring posters and things typed entirely in comic sans. Seeing it used in professional situations (notices, announcements, etc.) is...well...comical. Which I guess might be where they got the "comic" part from?


5.) People looking at the book I'm reading. I have absolutely no idea why this bothers me so much, but I suffer agonies when I'm either in the process of reading and people ask me what I'm reading, or I'm carrying a book I'm halfway through somewhere and someone asks me what it is and if they can look at it. I get weirdly possessive about my books and it annoys me to no end when people are grabbing at them or staring at me reading them or whatever. This is probably the least rational thing that bothers me. Because if I read a good book, I love telling people about it and recommending it to them. But when I'm reading a book, I want it to be a secret so that I can be the only one who knows how awesome it is for a little while (which makes no sense, because I know I am never the only person who has bought any of the books I've loved and hoarded).

What weird or not-so-weird things annoy you? What types of things bother you for no particular reason? Leave them in the comments!

More later!

I'm A Customer, I Own Your Soul.

Location: Couch
Listening to: Regis and Guest-Co-Host
Followers: 38!!!!

YAY MORE FOLLOWERS!!! Welcome Simon and Kels! :)

The one thing I'm disliking about summer (besides being far away from my lovely and amazing boyfriend) is not having anything to talk about. At school, I always have things to do and classes to complain about and things to inspire ideas for posts that area actually interesting to read. At home, I have significantly fewer of these things.

Except, I'm starting to understand why some people would never want to work at a restaurant. Don't get me wrong, my job is still pretty great. The people I work with are awesome and honestly, busing tables and leading people to their seats is not difficult work. But some people are just awful.

For some weird, inexplicable reason, nearly everybody who comes into our particular restaurant wants to sit in a booth. I kind of get it. They're more comfortable than the wood-backed, unpadded chairs. But what I don't get is how some people are SO SET on the idea of sitting in a booth that they will not consider anything else.

Yesterday, it was me, a girl who started working a week or two ago, and a guy who's only been here slightly longer than me. I was supposed to be seating people, and the new girl was supposed to be coordinating (our term for making sure that the servers' sections get seated in order so no one get's ripped off by getting fewer tables and therefore fewer tips). It was her first time coordinating, and it's kind of complicated, especially because all of the servers start at different times, so before 4:30 we can only seat certain sections.

A couple came in and I was told to take them to a small table that seats two people, so I led them there and told them that's where they'd be sitting. The lady looks at the table, looks at me and goes, "Um. We'd like a booth."

This is fine. Whatever. People request this all the time. So I radioed the new girl and asked if there were any open booths. This probably seemed kind of ridiculous to the couple, because we were standing right by an entire row of empty booths...but they were part of a section that couldn't be seated yet. So the new girl radios me back and tells me that no, all of the booths are full.

So I attempt to explain to this couple that we have no open booths because all of our servers were not there yet, so I couldn't seat them at the empty ones, but would they still like this small table? Or I could find them a bigger table if they would like.

And the lady gets all huffy and goes, "No. We want a booth." And they start angrily murmuring to each other and walking back toward the door.

THEY WERE GOING TO LEAVE. BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET A BOOTH.

I quickly remedied the situation by offering them a booth in the closed section and getting a different waiter to take it. But I was not happy about it.

Some people, I tell ya.

Anyway, that's it for now. I have to go prepare for more work.

More later!

I feel tricked.

Location: Home
Listening to: The end credits of Defendor

As you may have gathered if you bother to read my location/listening to things at the beginning of each post, I just finished watching the movie Defendor. And, guys, I can honestly say...I feel tricked. (Warning: Anything past this point may contain spoilers.)

I stumbled across this movie when I worked at a local video rental store last year. It came out last spring and was on the movie preview reel we has to play at the store. The clips it showed were cute or funny, and it stars Woody Harrelson and Kat Dennings, so I figured it had to be good. Kat Dennings cracks me up, so I didn't think there was a way she could be in a movie I wouldn't like.

I was wrong.

At first appearances, this movie seems like it's going to be a superhero comedy along the lines of Kick-Ass and...um...those other superhero comedies. It's about a guy who has a superhero alter ego and gains an unlikely sidekick in a young prostitute.

What they don't tell you on the back of the box (or the website synopsis or the previews) is that the guy who thinks he's a superhero? He's mentally handicapped. And his young prostitute sidekick is a coke addict who's dad is a scumbag child molester or something. This sweet and innocent guy, played by Woody  Harrelson, who doesn't know any better is trying to get rid of "Captain Industry", the man he thinks murdered his mother when he was a child. "Captain Industry" is not a person. He heard his grandfather/older male mentor/caretaker refer to the drug lords who killed his mom as "captains of industry" and believed "Captain Industry" to be his mother's killer. So he poses as Defendor and tries to get rid of the scumbags that roam his city as he searches for "Captain Industry."

He comes across a young prostitute, played by Kat Dennings, and saves her once or twice, and they become unlikely friends. Except, she's using all of his money to buy drugs for herself and using his desire to avenge his mother's death to try and get rid of some drug lord/pimp/baddie who she didn't like by saying that he is "Captain Industry".

I'm not going to ruin the ending for you, except to say it isn't happy. In fact, it's rather sad. Not at all the uplifting, positive, moral-inducing conclusion you hope for.

Overall, it wasn't a terrible movie. But I can't for the life of me figure out why they advertised it as a comedy. Nothing about it was funny. Almost everything about it was kind of depressing.

Anyway, Internet, I feel duped. Tricked. Bamboozled.

I think this situation calls for ice cream.

More later.

Love is lovely.

Location: Home
Listening to: The news

Oh, you guys. I am in love. Absolutely, incredibly, deeply in love.

This seems like the time when I would pull a fast one and tell you that I'm in love with something ridiculous or predictable, like shoes or ice cream. But that's not the case. Well, it is. I love those things. But, I am in love with the most lovely boy ever in existence.

I try not to gush too much, because I know when all someone talks about is their sweetie, it gets kind of obnoxious. Like, I know you're in love and that's great, but, honestly, get a life. So, I try (and kind of fail) to keep my boy-gushing to a minimum here. But I just felt like letting my love flow tonight.

Brad and I have been dating for nearly 7 months, which is about twice as long as any of my most recent previous relationships have lasted. And every day I find myself falling deeper and deeper in love with him. I'm used to dating guys who are douchebags. I mean, they never tried to be, but they were. They would put themselves first and take me for granted (which sounds kind of conceited, but a relationship is supposed to be about compromise and balance, not ME! ME! ME! ME!).

This guy is totally different. He's adorable. He is incredibly cute and the sweetest boy alive. He's always doing what he can to make me happy, which is nice because I try my hardest to make him happy, too. He's constantly surprising me with little things and he's the best cuddler and makes me feel so safe and cozy and happy and loved.

When I went to visit him last week, we celebrated his birthday. I got him a pot and a bunch of macaroni, because he only had a frying pan and that severely limited the food he could make himself. I also got him a video game he really, really, really, really wanted, and a picture frame with photos of us in it. He told me he loved it all, but his favorite was the frame. He explained that he's never had framed pictures before, and now he has several of us together. It made me smile that the least expensive gift, something he hadn't asked for or expected, was his favorite.

He also surprised me with something. I have a claddagh ring that I've worn every day for the past four years. For those of you unfamiliar with claddagh, it's an Irish symbol depicting two hands holding a heart that has a crown above it. It's really symbolic. The heart stands for love, the hands for friendship, and the crown for loyalty. It's on all kinds of jewelry, but with rings, it takes an extra meaning. The way you wear the ring shows the status of your heart: single, taken, engaged, or married.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my ring had a crack running halfway down the band and mentioned that I would have to replace it soon because it was at risk of breaking in half. Brad and I spent a little while looking up pictures online of different types of claddagh rings so I could get an idea of what I would want to replace mine. A few days later, he mentioned that he had a surprise for me that I would get when I came to visit him.

When I got to his apartment, we sat around waiting for the FedEx guy to deliver my surprise. And it ended up being this ring. I've never gotten jewelry from a guy before. And it's gorgeous. And it fits perfectly. And it's amazing and he's amazing and I love him.

He's coming up to visit me tomorrow and meet some of my friends. I'm so excited. This long distance stuff is no fun at all. It's working and we haven't had any problems thus far, but it's hard being so far away.

Sorry for the mushy overload. I hope you are all having wonderful summers! If you're looking for something fun to do in July, check out Allyson's blog for info on a potential blog book club!

More later!

Failure.

Location: Home
Listening to: My neighbor's kids yelling outside

Well, apparently summer makes me suck at blogging. I guess that was kind of to be expected, you know? I go from being in a structured, educational environment where I always had other things to be doing but managed to find time to write at least once a week to a totally free environment where I have no limiting responsibilities and I can't find the time to bother updating.

Sorry!

Honestly, guys, my life is pretty boring. I started my job at Applebees, and at first I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or stick it out all summer, but now I'm having fun with it. I also already have managed to have to call in sick, accidentally miss a good chunk of a shift, and totally fail to call in for an on call shift. And I've only worked there for a week. Granted, I'm not sure if the on call shift one mattered, because I'm still not entirely sure if you're supposed to call them or if they just call you if they need you, but I didn't get any stern lectures or phone calls, and I'm pretty sure they didn't need me because it was a sunny Saturday afternoon over Memorial Day weekend, so everyone was probably up at their cabins or out grilling instead of eating there.

 Tomorrow I'm going to visit Brad for his birthday. I'm soooo excited to give him his present. I can't tell you what it is yet, because he sometimes reads this and I don't want to spoil it, but I'm pretty sure he'll like it. I've given boyfriend's gifts before, but I've never been this excited about it, and I've never spent this much time/effort/money on someone I've dated (not that I spent a lot of money, because I didn't spend that much but Brad specifically told me that if I spend more than $10, he'll complain about me spending my money on him). And I'm excited.

That's really all there is for me right now. Maybe I'll have better stories when I get back on Wednesday. Who knows.

More later.

PUPPIES!

Location: Couch (home)
Listening to: Commercials

This week has flown by. Seriously. It's nearly Saturday already and I'm pretty sure the last time I was conscious of it being a specific day was Tuesday. Because on Tuesday, I got to reunite with the boyfriend. It was wonderful. I know we'd only been apart for, like, four days. But it could have been nearly a month until I got to see him and I missed him terribly and getting a chance to visit made my week.

I ended up driving down to see him and help him move into a new apartment. We ended up playing Call of Duty (he thoroughly kicked my ass) and wandering around the park we had our first date at (awwwww) and driving to the closest mall and wandering around. And this was probably the best idea ever. Because we discovered a store that sold puppies (hence the picture of me with an adorable puppy). Now, Brad and I both loovvvveeee dogs. Serious discussion has been had of the two of us getting a puppy eventually. So we were both super excited to go in this store. I felt like a little kid. There was the most adorable husky puppy and we tried to play with her, but she was scared of us and hid in a corner and peed all over the place. We ended up leaving after that, but we came back as we were leaving and played with the little guy in the picture above. He was awesome. He was bouncing around and playing and cuddling and nipping all over the place. I didn't want to let go. But, sadly, neither of us have the money or time or living conditions to take care of a puppy right now, so I had to leave my new friend behind.

Originally, I planned to come home on Wednesday, but I was having a lot of fun helping Brad move. He was switching apartments because he went to resign his lease and someone else had already signed for his apartment, but there ended up being another studio open in a different building. Personally, I like his new place much better. It was a little roomier because it had one less closet, and they gave him more furniture and he was able to set it up so there was a divided living area and bed area. His friend Kent came to help move the big stuff and we all hung out and ordered pizza and the boys played video games while I screwed around on the computer and compulsively yawned every two seconds.

But that's not all! My busy week got busier when I started my new job at Applebee's on Thursday. Like I mentioned before, I got a job hostessing for the summer. I'm not really sure how much I'm going to like it. I've never worked in a restaurant before, so I've never had to deal with $4 hour wages + tip pool or being scheduled for a certain start time and working until they don't need you anymore or double shifts or any of the other craziness that apparently comes from working in a non-retail setting. All of the people who I work with seem really cool so far, but as far as the work goes, I could take it or leave it. But, it's a job and they're paying me and I really don't have any other options right now, so I'll tough it out.

That's my life in a nutshell recently. How have you guys been doing? I hope you're all having an awesome spring and that everyone's doing awesome on finals or at work or just having fun with life! Let me know about any cool things you're doing. I love to hear what you guys have to say. :)

More later!

Over the hump

Location: Home

Listening to: Commercials on Fox

This is how kick-ass my nails look right now. I just got done with an awesome and much needed girl time bonding session with Alison. I haven't seen her since Christmas break, so we had a lot of catching up to do and we spent it painting our nails, watching silly TV shows, and getting ice cream.

I am officially over the terrible hump of sadness that came with leaving my boyfriend halfway across the state. I miss him terribly, but I have resigned myself to the fact that being sad is not going to make him closer. And I'm visiting him this Tuesday instead of three weeks from now, which makes it much more bearable. I am so excited to see him!

Thanks to Charcoal Renderings for your awesome awesome awesome advice! It makes me feel a lot better about this situation knowing other people are in it and have dealt with it before and survived.  :)

Even though I actually did stuff tonight, I still don't really have much to write about. I've pretty much spent my time home so far unpacking and making my room a complete disaster and doing laundry. And playing Pokemon...because...um...it's kind of addicting and I just got into it and it amuses me.

More later!

SPOILER: This is not a happy post.

Location: Home
Listening to: South Park

Well, guys, I'm back home for the summer. And honestly, I'm really, really, really sad. I know it's silly to be so torn up over being a few hours away from your boyfriend, but I was practically living with him these past few weeks and it sucks not being able to see him.

I mean, I'm going to visit every other week if I can afford it and we talk all the time and he'll call me every night and things will work out, I'm sure, but it's hard. Really hard. I'm kind of crying right now. I've never cried from missing someone who was still alive before.

Um. Yeah. I'm gonna stop now because if I keep going I'm going to keep getting sad.

More later.

Summer Can Wait

Location: Brad's Couch
Listening to: Wheel of Fortune


Sorry for not writing sooner! After BEDA, I definitely needed a break. Also, I have the greatest boyfriend in the entire world and last weekend he came home from work with four Harry Potter movies and Lego Harry Potter for his Playstation. And, Internet, I have a confession.

My name is Abbie, and I'm addicted to Lego Harry Potter.

I know it was made for, like, 8-year-old kids, but it is seriously distracting me from studying for finals. Or doing the other things I'd be doing to procrastinate instead of studying for finals. I am nearly done with Year 3, then I have Year 4 (which I'm really looking forward to) and then I can go back and try to get all of the extra things for each level.

Um. Yeah. I might be a nerd.

As it gets closer and closer to finals, I'm less and less excited to go home for summer. I mean, I'm sure it'll be nice to sleep in a non-dorm bed in my own room and have all of my things, but I am not looking forward to being so far away from my boyfriend. Which is silly, because I'm going to be visiting him all the time and he'll be visiting me, so we'll still get to see each other a ton, but not nearly enough.

And there's the whole issue of my friends. As in, I really don't feel like I have any anymore. I still keep in touch with my friends Dani and Dillon, but besides them and occasionally my friend Jess, no one really talks to me anymore. Granted, I don't really talk to anyone else. But just about every time I went home for a break this year, the friends I was closest to the last few years of high school would hang out and kind of forget about me. I don't know if it's something personal or not, but it feels like it is. Which I know is ridiculous. But I've definitely spent the last few times I was home sitting by myself and knowing that the people I would normally be hanging out with were all hanging out with each other without me. And that's a sucky feeling. I don't want my whole summer to be like that.

I have my orientation and training set up for Applebees, so I'll be busy for a few days while that's all going on. My sister graduates from grad school and my brother graduates college. Between work and grad parties and visiting Brad, I probably won't have time to think about sad things like feeling left out or whatever.

Meh. I'm still not looking forward to summer.

More later.

I'm FREE!!!

Location: Brad's Couch
Listening to: Supernanny

I'M FREE!!!

You guys, today is the last day of BEDA and I could not be happier about that. I love blogging every day, but I honestly need some time to take a day or two off so things can actually happen in my life that will give me ideas for things to write about. Because I pretty much have no brain right now.

Anyway, I made it pretty much. Which is an accomplishment.

Um. Yeah. I really don't have anything to talk about.

More some other time.

Someone You'd Admire

Location: Brad's Couch
Listening to: "Someone You'd Admire" by Fleet Foxes

I was just listening to the new Fleet Foxes album ("Happiness Blues") to review for our campus paper and one of the songs is absolutely gorgeous. It's called "Someone You'd Admire". It's about wanting to change and trying really hard to, but not really being sure if you've changed at all or what kind of person you're changing into. Like, not knowing if you'll be the kind of person people will want to be like or the type who would betray and hurt people and not even care.

It's really a gorgeous song. Like, absolutely beautiful. Anyone who likes Mumford & Sons or The Swell Season or other folk-esque bands will like it, I promise.

Who is the type of person you admire? What traits and characteristics do you find admirable in others? What kind of traits do you think you have that others admire?

BEDA - Blaghhghgh Every Day's Angsty

Location: Dorm Desk
Listening to: One of those sad Humane Society commercials with the Sarah McLaughlin music.
Days Since Last Workout: 1


Blagghghghghghg.

You guys, I'm cranky today. I really don't want to bring you all down with my mildly negative mood. I had a weirdly emotional night last night (entirely due to my ridiculous/poor sense of perception and lack of ability to clearly communicate feelings) and I'm drained today and little things keep upsetting me.

I will give you a nice, fun, happy post tomorrow. I promise.

I'm Boring

Location: Dorm desk
Listening to: That 70's Show
Followers: 36

Yayyyy two new followers! Welcome Anna and ylrocgirl!!!

You guys have no idea how boring things here are right now. Like, I'm totally happy doing what I'm doing, it's just, I really doubt you want to hear about how I spent my free time yesterday sitting on my boyfriend's couch watching Best In Show and then wasting time on Facebook while he went and did things that might actually actually influence his future career.

Boring, right?

Anyway, Cal, I broke my Lenten Fast Food Fast with some Culvers chicken tenders and fries. Yummmm. Over the course of the past 40 or so days, I cheated a few times by snitching a few fries or a chicken nugget from people, but I never went out with the intent of buying myself fast food. I'm pretty proud. I went out to eat a lot this semester and I was feeling kind of gross. After a month of not eating out once or twice a week, I feel much better.

Yesterday, Brad had me try the work out regimen thing he does a few times a day and today my arms feel like they're in a constant state of falling off. It involved a lot of lifting a medicine ball and doing crunches and I'm pretty out of shape. I have literally no upper body strength. It's rather sad. So I'm definitely feeling that today.

My goal for this summer: get in shape. I'm pretty happy with my physical appearance, but I know health-wise, I'm really out of shape. The other day I ran from the parking lot my car lives in to my dorm, which is roughly a quarter of a mile, and I felt like I was dying by the time I got back. I want to be able to do that without feeling completely winded. And I want to be able to lift things without feeling like my arms are getting ripped off. And getting a little more toned wouldn't hurt anything.

Two questions today.

1.) Do you have any goals for the summer? Do you want to learn something or achieve something or do something cool?

2.) What kind of work out things do you do? And what would you suggest for someone who doesn't have a gym membership and isn't really in the habit of doing a lot of physical activity? How can I get started in a way that won't discourage me from trying to work out ever again and that will motivate me to keep going?

More tomorrow!

Why do some things matter?

Location: Dorm desk
Listening to: Still Standing
Days Without Fast Food: 0

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... from Jack Black

So, it recently came to light that the judge who overturned Proposition 8 in California (the law banning gay marriage) was gay. And people are making a huge stink about it. I understand that people think this is a conflict of interest and stuff but I have a question.

Does him being gay really make any more of a difference than if he was a straight guy who just simply supported gay rights and equality?

I mean, if it had been a civil rights law that had been overturned by an African-American person, would people be making just as big of a deal about it? Or would they be seen as racist or prejudiced?

If it was a law that banned guns that was overturned by a gun owner, would people care?

Do you guys think it makes sense for people to be making a big deal out of this? I just don't really understand why his sexual preference should exclude him from being able to make that decision. Because wouldn't anyone who overturned it have supported gay rights? What would it matter if they were gay or not?

More tomorrow.