20 Random Facts

Part of my morning routine involves reading all of the latest blog updates on my Blogger's "reading list."  Some people read the paper every morning, I climb onto blogger.  One blog that I've followed for some time, but only recently become obsessed with, is Kaelah's Little Chief Honeybee. 

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but one day I read a post of Kaelah's and something just clicked.  Now, I'm not anything if not a little obsessive.  Once I realized that I could really relate to this girl, I did what any obsessive, web-stalker does...I found her first post and read chronologically.  Weird, I know.  Creepy?  Maybe a little.  But when I find something I like, I need to know more about it.  In high school there was one paragraph in our history books about the Salem Witch Trials and I was so intrigued that by the end of that year, I had folders of printouts and dozens of books pertaining to that subject.

But I'm getting carried away.  What I'm really here to do is copy Kaelah and share 20 random facts about myself.

1. I'm finally going back to school.  I have been an on-again, off-again, college student since I started back in 2007.  It's been a struggle because I am constantly changing my mind about what I do or do not want to be when I "grow up."  I keep bouncing back to education and after a couple meetings with my wonderful advisor, I decided it's time to stop working fulltime and finish my degree...if only to have a degree as a fallback option.

2. I still plan on becoming a published author.  One dream that has never faltered is one day seeing my name printed on a book cover.  Working two/three jobs does not allow me as much time for writing as I'd like but I know that once I'm back in school, I'll be able to squeeze it in...if only because my classes are boring.

3. My life choices and actions are carried out with either passion or obligation.  Like I mentioned at the top of this article, I get obsessive.  I'm either all-in, over-the-top, super-excited about things or I'm meh, I'm doing this because I have to.  That's why it's hard for me to find something that I love because I'm so used to the ridiculousness of my excitement, that I need a job that provides me with that feeling on a regular basis.
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 4. Travel is important to me.  I have, mostly, lived in one place my entire life, but I see myself as an adventurer.  I keep telling myself that once I finish college, once I have a real job, once I have enough money I will explore the world...but I never go anywhere.  I am a traveler who is sedentary.  One day this will change.

5. Everything happens for a reason.  This is my life motto.  I believe that all of the good and all the bad leads us to someone, something, or some place that we need to be.  This thought keeps me sane on the worst days.  Sometimes I like to trace events that I thought were devastating to my current happiness just to reinforce this idea.

6. I am soft.  I cry.  A lot.  My heart is soft.  My feelings are fragile.  Once I even wrote a ramble-y post about this very thing.  Do not confuse my softness with weakness though, because I am a very strong person.

7. My dog is my favorite thing in the world.  No one or nothing can make me as happy, or annoyed, as the little psycho I call Crookston.  I cannot imagine loving an animal more than I love him...he even beats out most people in terms of the affection I give.

8. Sometimes I feel behind.  I know that everyone's timelines are different, but sometimes it's hard to look at peers, and those who are younger than me, and see marriages, babies, careers, houses, etc.  I live at home because it's cheaper and I'm lucky enough to have a great relationship with my family, but sometimes I think, why not me?

9. I pee, and poop, very rarely.  This fact annoys my mother to no end.  She's always trying to convince me to go to the bathroom even though I'm 24-years-old and capable of making that decision myself, ha ha.  When I was younger, I hated going to the bathroom so somehow I have trained myself to only pee about once a day, sometimes twice if I've been drinking a ton of water, and poop every three/four days (it used to be once a week).  I've been trying to go more often because I've heard it's not healthy if you aren't especially regular, but it's been a slow process.

10. Every time I drive through a yellow light, I kiss my fingertips and touch the ceiling.  Years ago, I read about a celebrity doing this to counteract the bad luck of yellow lights, and now I can't help it.  If you're riding with me, or vice versa, and we go through a yellow--you will get to witness this.

11. Unknown social situations make me feel very awkward and uncomfortable.  I get anxiety over things other people think of as minor.  If I've never been in a restaurant and am supposed to meet someone there, I hate it.  I don't like the idea of walking in an not knowing the layout or how things work.  I'm the crazy person who will do a drive-by of someone's house the night, or day, before I'm supposed to pick them up so I know where I'm going.  I rehearse conversations I know are going to be weird so that it feels more controlled when it comes time to have them.  Needing this order and control is one of the very few "type A" personality traits I posses.

12. I do not own a single plain pair of socks.  Hearts, Christmas, eagles, stars, pac-man, Star Wars...I do not have a single bland sock in my drawer.  As a youngin, I loved the patterned socks.  It's more entertaining the older I get.  I work at a high school, so I dress fairly professional, but rest assured that under my boots is one kooky pair of socks.  I love the reaction people give when I visit their home or apartment for the first time and take my shoes off.

13. I believed in Santa until I was in 6th grade.  The magic was dispelled by a teacher-led discussion of how we'd all found out that our parents were behind the whole endeavor.  I still don't know how this relates to Lois Lowry's "The Giver."

14. I'm a feminist.  And I think that every female should feel the exact same way.  When people say they aren't, I just assumed they're the victim of misinformation.


feminism-flow-chart
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15. I correct any and everyone who uses the "R" word.  After working at a children's group home and in a middle school with students who have intellectual disabilities, I have gone from disliking the word, to hating it.  Anyone who tries the "Well, that's not what I mean" or "I know someone who--" needs to be told that it's offensive and you won't stand for it.  Want to know more?  Click here.

16. Heathers and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  Tied for my favorite movie.

17. I was a vegetarian for 5 years.  Makes me think of the joke, how do you know if someone's a vegetarian/vegan/etc--they tell you.  Evidently this rings true of former veg-heads as well.

18. Nail biter.  I've tried to quit for years and will go long stretches, sometimes months, but my fingernails find their way to my teeth sooner or later.  When I bite them, it's usually dark at night and I'm watching something that stresses me out and off they go.

19.  I do not watch scary movies.  With an overactive imagination, it's just a horrible combination.  I saw Urban Legends way back in the day and until last year, that was my last scary flick.  Last year, a guy I was seeing convinced me that Insidious wasn't that bad and we started watching it on Netflix.  I was not doing so hot but the part that ruined me was when the face pops up in the daylight.  I covered my eyes, started repeating "turn it off, turn it off," and had to watch about an hour of America's Funniest Home Videos before my hands left my face.

20.  Star Wars Geek.  I have a strange love of Star Wars.  I own a few dresses, phone covers, a pair of leggings, and countless socks that proclaim my obsession.  My mall job requires me to have keys to dressing rooms and those keys are, you guessed it, on a Star Wars wristlet.  Some of my teammates complain, but mostly they laugh and say they know who's keys they have borrowed.

Can't say this was easy.  It took me two separate attempts to finish because I just blanked after the 15th random fact.  Let me know if you stop by and check out this post by commenting with a random fact (or facts) about yourself!

Weekend recap

This weekend was pretty fantastic.  There is really only one way to tell a story, and it's in selfies.
 
I've been working very rarely at the mall and in the time I used to use to find the people of the world great-fitting denim, I have been knitting.  There's something wonderfully therapeutic about whipping scarves out every hour or so.  A gal I used to work with saw one on instagram and asked if I could make her one, so I'm thinking of listing a bunch on Facebook and seeing if I can maybe make a few extra bucks before Christmas.
 
Another great thing about not working 24/7 is that I'm free when last minute opportunities arise.  Friday, my wonderful best friend text me to say that she couldn't make it into town for the hockey game and did I want her tickets.  I obviously jumped at the opportunity (Go Sioux) and convinced my little sister to go with me.  Despite all of my begging though, I could not get her to wear any Sioux or UND apparel.  Guess who isn't getting an invite next time?

Honestly though, we had a pretty great time at the game.  It was Friday, so for any Sioux fans out there, you know that we won.  They also had these "bammers" so that we could all being annoying as a collective crowd.
 
The next night, I lounged around for a good chunk of the day before checking out the new Hobby Lobby and trying to find to find fabric for the library overhaul I'm planning.  I forget how expensive fabric is...even with a 40% off coupon.
 
Saturday night I finally got to check out the new Thor movie.  I was pretty "meh" about the film.  I found it all fairly predictable.  All in all, it wasn't horrible, but I'm happy that I didn't go on opening night with all of the mega-fans and crowds.
 
My weekend was one of the most busy I've had in a long time.  In addition to the game and movie, I went out with my friends one night and worked for a chunk of time on Sunday.  It was one of those full weekends where you get a lot accomplished in terms of your social life, but don't necessarily walk away feeling refreshed.  I work this upcoming weekend and I'm thinking that other than going to work, I'm going to lay in bed, knit, and sleep.

Star Wars and Knitting

One of the teachers at the high school where I work mentioned that Michael's is having a crazy sale on yarn; so after 3:30p, I hopped in my car and made my way over.  Some of my favorites were as little as $1.99 a skein, so that, coupled with my teacher discount (thanks Michael's), meant I saved about 60% on all of the yarn I grabbed.
 
I was so excited with my new colors, that I quickly knit the world's longest infinity scarf...seriously though.  I had to wrap this sucker around my head four times to get it to lay where I normally like.  That's what I get for paying more attention to The Office than to the task at hand.
 
 
Now here's the other great part of my day.  One of the students knows my love of Star Wars and mentioned that they have shirts and hoodies for dogs at Petco.  Say no more.  I picked up this great Boba Fett hoodie for Crookston for when we go for walks (hello November goal) and a t-shirt for our Christmas card.  He's not used to wearing clothes which is why he's making the most ridiculous faces in these pictures.  But hey, I wouldn't be a mom if I didn't exploit his love for me, right?




 
All in all, it was a pretty nice, low-key Wednesday.  I'm surprised at how much more I can accomplish when I make, and follow, a to-do list.  I am finishing tasks like nobody's business!

November Goal Update

NaNoWriMo...yep.  Haven't done a single day of it.  To be fair, I've been crazy busy and don't think I would have had time even if I'd remembered.

We're about a third of the way through November and I thought I'd explain my craziness and how it's been relating to my goals.

Now if you recall, I didn't have too many goals for this month.  I thought that by making just a few and smaller goals, they'd be easier to accomplish.  Well, a goal is just that, a goal.  And on some of my goals, I'm killing it...on others, not so much.

Recap of November Goals:
  • 1. Gym at least 4 times a week
  • 2. Continuously contribute to and hold up my end of Creased Spine podcasts 
  • 3. Knitting, let's get back to this
  • 4. Save up some dinero because I'm taking a boatload of classes in the Spring
  • 5. Church, once, just once, I'd like to get to mass


  • 1.  I have not been to the gym once.  I've driven past it on my way home from work.  I've thought, hey, I should really go work out.  But not once, have I entered the gym.  As I was typing this, I remembered that I have been to the gym once.  I went to water aerobics with a friend of mine who is pregnant and it was a lot more difficult that I thought it'd be.  New plan/goal update: Go to the gym and/or workout 8 times between now and November 30th...that shouldn't be too bad.  I want to get back into running outdoors now that it's colder and snowier (I overheat like nobody's business) so maybe I'm more likely to succeed if I take it to the streets.

    2. Yes...and no.  I was sick last week so wasn't podcast-ready.  I have done all of my reading and volunteered ideas though, so I'd say we're on track with this goal.

    3. Learned to arm knit. So I've been having a lot of fun with that and I've been adding on to existing, half-finished projects around my house.  Success.


    4. No.  Not at all.  Money actually seems to be on the decline.  I'm actually spending more money that usual because I'm trying to pay off all of my credit cards, or at least pay the bigger ones down by a lot.  I'm looking at houses, so I think the lower my credit card balances, the better chance I'll have at a good loan.

    5. Done.  Two days ago.  Went with my Grandma.  Felt good after.  Donated money to children in an impoverished country for food and houses.  Maybe I'll shoot for two Sundays in December.

    Other news: I've finally applied to be in my program at UND.  If I get in, I'll graduate in about a year and a half...pending other things I have in the works.  I didn't realize I had to have so many language credits, so I'm studying for the test and hoping to CLEP out of all 16.  It has been about 6 years since I've taken Spanish, so I really need to brush up.

    I already mentioned house-hunting briefly in Goal 4.  I've seen two houses so far, one that was an old bank in a smaller town and the other was a foreclosure in town.  Unfortunately, both places had too many problems and things that would need to be fixed, so the hunt continues.

    I've also switched positions at my mall job.  I was originally going to cut it out entirely, but having worked their for 6 years (on and off), I just couldn't leave.  The seamstress is training me and I'm learning how to hem pants and do minor alterations.  It's a pretty cool thing and I'm excited to get faster.  Currently, I am pretty slow because I'm worried about making mistakes and ruining someone's pants, but with time-comes speed.


    NaNoWriMo

    Just realized today is the first day.  Crap.

    October Reflection

    October was a crazy month for me, I picked out a few highlights from the old Instagram to share with you.


    1. Getting my first tattoo!  Hello NoDak pride!   2. Sushi with one of my best friends and her husband when they came to visit.


    3. New hair!  Love the color and so sad that it's the last time Daniel will cut/color my hair :( Boo grown-up jobs!  4. Starting, after talking forever about it, the Creased Spine YA lit podcast with Danielle.


    5. Working in the library at a local high school.  Finally finding my footing among all my coworkers has been great.  6. This puppy that should not have been in the high school, but was...and got to hang out with me for a little while :)

    Cannot wait to see what November brings!