While the man's away...

...the girls will play, or so I thought.  Instead, I spent an abnormal amount of time holding a smoking light bulb and running from an invisible skunk.  I guess I'm lucky my dog is here, however, he'll still be gone for three full days.  Who knows what could happen in the next three days?!

Backstory on the light bulb:
Before buying our house, we knew the current owners strived (What do you mean strived isn't a word?  Get outta here, little red squiggly line.) to be green, in a variety of ways.  They had a composter, a low-flow toilet, and a rain barrel, just to name a few things.  Their master bedroom had space for four light bulbs, yet they kept less than that in there.  Based on all the other energy efficiencies, I figured that was the case for the bulbs.

Fast forward to present day, ya know seven months later when I wished I had a little more light in that room.  But of course, I waited until it was just the dog and I when I chose to  buy and replace the bulbs.  I've replaced bulbs before, these should be no sweat.  I turned the lights off, removed the bad bulbs and put a new one in.  I turned the lights back on, just to see if two bulbs would provide the light I wanted.  It did, so I spent a little time folding clothes and basking in my newly-found light.

Not five minutes into putting my clothes away, the new light goes out.  Seeing as I did not have a ladder to stand on to put the bulb into the ceiling fan, it was obviously not screwed in tight, right?  Without turning the light off, I reach up and twist the bulb slightly to the right.  BAM.  Light bulb explodes, starts smoking, and the smell of burning something (dust?) fills the air.  I bring the remainder of the light bulb down, looking for fire.  No fire to be found, but I also couldn't find the inside of the bulb.  Knowing I had to capture this moment of a broken light bulb smoking with no fire in sight, I took some photos.  

Ok, so it didn't quite explode...but it shattered...and almost killed me.  Yep.

None of which show the extreme amount of smoke in them, c'mon iPhone, get it together.  With it being 11:30 at night and no one to discuss this situation with, I texted my parents:  "Whoever wants to troubleshoot an exploding light bulb situation should call after 9am tomorrow."  Without missing a beat, my dad replies:  "Unplug offending light.  Talk tomorrow."  Later I find out that he leaves his phone at the foot of the bed and the train choo choo sound was too much to take.

The next morning, after the initial shock of almost being killed by an exploding light bulb wore off, I was ready to get the rest of the bulb from the socket (with audio help from both my parents via phone).  Needle-nose pliers and a flashlight in hand, I stood on the bed to get close to the ceiling light.  At Dad's suggestion, I tried to pry it away from the socket (after cutting the electric to that room) with no luck.  In fact, little pieces of glass and metal came shooting out of the remainder of the bulb.  So, much to my dismay, I had to follow Mom's advice:  "Wait until Justin comes home, having two people handle this project will be easier."  Yeah, there's no way Rosie the dog will be able to drive me to the ER with shards of glass in my eye.

As I haven't posted in many months, I'm going to hold off on the skunk story until later this week.  Hopefully I'll have nothing new to report...stay tuned.

Recently Read

I just finished January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her by Michael Schofield.  This memoir focuses on the Schofield family, but primarily the father (author) and how he feels, thinks, and interacts with his daughter January, who is thought to have a mental illness.  It’s really a page turner, but not for the reason some books are.  There’s suspense, there’s love, there’s imagination and creativity, but really this whole book is that family’s life. 

When I added this book on Goodreads, I saw all the varying reviews, but didn’t read them fully until I  finished the book.  I cannot believe the awful thoughts, insensitivity, and downright hatred people show towards the father/author.  The book is written in an honest fashion, and he handles various situations with his child in the way he sees fit.  I find it repulsing that people reviewing the book could even imagine that they could do better without any prior experience or knowledge of mental illnesses or medication involved.  From my point of view, which is all it is, until someone is put into the exact situation with the exact same responses day after day after day, there’s no way to know how it would work out.  It’s possible the readers could have better ideas, be able to engage Janni in different ways, and create a seemingly ok life. However, on the other hand, they may grow annoyed, frustrated, and upset with the ways things are happening and the outcome could grow much worse than depicted in the book.

Anyway, a review:  January (later called Janni and Jani) is a young child when the book begins.  She has many imaginary friends that other children her age do not have or understand.  She creates better relationships with these seemingly fictional beings than with real humans.  Her father plays along with her for the most part, feeding her creativity, or so he thinks at the time.  As she grows older and the imaginary friends multiply, Janni becomes more detached from the world. 

Her father and mother grow increasingly worried about her mood swings, false reality, and most recently, violence.  Towards the middle of the book, they have a second child, Bodhi, and things take an unsafe turn for the worst.  Janni “has to hit” people and items if they do her wrong.  Bodhi and their dog Honey often end up the source of her frustration, thus her punching bag.  After going to see psychiatrists, doctors, and other professionals, the couple is forced to look within themselves for the solution to their discomfort, frustrations, and overall unhappiness.  

The book does a nice job of showing the father’s emotions throughout everything.  It felt very honest and I hope getting it down on paper helped him forgive Janni, all the while trying to maintain hope for her condition.  Overall, I rate this book a four out of five.  It’s a very touching story of a family in difficult circumstances, a healthcare system that was failing them, and a little girl lost in her own little world.

Weekend Recap

We spent this past weekend in Ohio with various family members.  Below are some notes that I gathered during this time.

Sleeping in the car may not be comfortable, but sometimes it is necessary.  Sirius Radio is a welcome addition while driving through the lack-of-radio-signal mountains.  Radiation is hard on body and mind.  Laughter can sometimes be the best medicine.  Memories are made despite the circumstance, negative or positive.  Unsolicited advice can sometimes be on the right track.  

Having an actual designated driver (not just for intoxicated situations) can make all the difference.  I have to believe that sometimes my mom knows she'll get made fun of for saying/doing something, but she does it anyway for our amusement.  On occasion, Chinese food can be awesome.  Falling asleep together on the couch, when everyone else leaves is love.

My brother is far more evil than I had ever thought.  Revenge is coming, buddy boy, when you least expect it.  My cousin's wedding was beautiful.  How'd she grow up so fast?  Tights are necessary for a church ceremony, but not for the reception.  Wine that sounds like biscotti is really, really good.  At one point in my life, I hope to not care what others think about me...just like my mom does...at all times.  When all else fails, you can use a ballpoint pen to put your hair up.  Sometimes watching is more fun than participating.  I never thought in a million years that I would teach my mom to Wobble, Wop, Macarena, and Bernie.

Work Dream

Last night, I had a very bizarre, very real, very freaky work dream.  Now for anyone trying to understand this dream, you'd have to understand my job.  So, in a very neat nutshell, I crank out JMU's Orientation publications.  Namely, The One Books, are one of my responsibilities.  I work with my closest friends (departments across the university) to make sure all of their information is accurately represented to our incoming first-year and transfer students.  These books are basically a checklist of "pre-college" items that need completed, as well as a sea of information to be completely informed about the JMU experience.  As you may imagine, my email inbox is like walking through a minefield.  Anyway, after all of the revisions from across campus are in (and three proofs later) I (and others in the office) read and reread the text until it all becomes a blur and eyes turn red and dry out.  Yesterday, we got our final proof  of The Transfer One Book prior to printing thousands of copies.  Based on a teeny tiny bit of anxiety, the below dream took place.  It all seemed so vivid that I woke up in a panic.

Miranda* had come up to give me her last revisions, the day Sarah (name not changed, as well, she likely does not read my blog and even if she did...she has already read about this ridiculous dream) left for vacation (this actually occurred, today).  Miranda had one totally new page that was supposed to be the new cover, on a piece of gray cardboard.  It was called ‘More Muffins Monday’ and had small clipart muffins as a border.  I told her I didn't think it made sense (at all) but maybe we could put it further back in the books, but not the cover.  She said she wanted all the families to know that since Summer Springboard (Orientation program name) Mondays were to be large, they were having muffins those days, as an extra perk for those braving the crowd.  (Some context would probably be helpful here.  Due to a change in summer work hours, all of our Orientation days run Monday-Thursday.  Previously, Mondays and Fridays had been large days, for families clumped those days into a weekend.  It makes sense for those traveling from afar and those wanting to not miss work during swing of things at work.)  It had to be on the cover, because it was more important that the rest of the book, she said.  I had tried to talk her into just stuffing a half sheet in Springboard folders for Mondays, but she wasn't having it.  As Sarah AND Tisha (my supervisors with The One Books) were gone, I made an executive decision to “lose” the muffins page and not include it in the books.

Fast forward to getting the actual books printed…the cardboard cover muffin page was not included.  Sarah comes running up to my desk to ask about why that particular page was not included…to which I respond something along the lines of “It was about muffins, Sarah…I didn't feel like it fit the theme of the books.”  To which she gave me a glare and said that they all needed reprinted.

*Name has been changed to protect the innocent that actually did nothing wrong.

Recently

Straying from the prompts today...instead, see below.

Recently read:  A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson 

(spoiler free is the way to be!)

The book centers around three generations of women in one family.  The oldest, Big, gave birth to her "wild child" at age 15.  Wild child, Liza, gave birth to her baby at age 15.  The now 15 year-old Mosey, is being watched like a hawk for this "gene."  If only that was the family's only problem...

Early in the story, we learn that Liza collapsed at her daughter's school function and never really recovered.  From what I imagine, it seems like she had a stroke.  Unfortunately, this character hits a little close to home.  Tangent alert!  My grandmother suffered from an aneurysm a few years ago.  After a routine procedure, she was fine.  If she wasn't in a hospital gown and bed, you wouldn't have known anything was wrong.  Later on, something happened.  A stroke, probably, but I don't remember all the details.  My grandma is in a nursing home, where she has resided for at least the last three years.  Hold on, I'm going to take this explanation full circle.  On a good day, she speaks some and laughs and smiles.  I know that my Grandma I know and love is in there, she just is unable to show it like I'm used to.  I am also sure that she understands everything I say or do, pictures she sees, and emotions I am unable to hide.  

The Liza character in the book is mentally stable, just unable to speak in a language that is understandable by the average human.  The book's chapters are categorized by the person's point of view (Big, Liza, and Mosey) and alternates between all of them.  Liza's made me think of Grandma every time.  Her struggles just forming a seemingly simple word, like cup, seem unreal.  Sometimes other words come out instead of what was meant.  But I've seen the same look on my grandma's face and heard words that don't necessarily make sense.  Liza's internal struggle to make sense and help her family understand goes on throughout the book, pulling at my heartstrings each time (exactly the way I feel with my grandma).  Anyway...the book has quite a few twists and turns that are semi-believable and seeing each person's perspective is interesting.

Like all movies I've seen, I will give it a "Netflix rating" of four out of five.  The book started a little too slow for me, and I almost gave up.  Once the story started unfolding, I became more interested and couldn't put it down.

Recently watched:  The season finale of Downton Abbey

Most people my age do not watch Downton Abbey, or maybe that's just how I feel.  I must admit, I didn't watch it until recently.  I watched the whole first season on Netflix in a matter of a week.  Season two is not on Netflix or anywhere that I could find...so I gave in and bought a month's worth of Hulu.  Season two took only a few days.  And now?  Finale of season three?  Bahhhhh.

Without ruining anything from the show, season, or episode...I'd like to respond to the overwhelming feedback from viewers.  Actors and actresses are people, too.  They have lives outside of their English ways in Downton.  These people are able to make their own decisions and sometimes their choices may not align with lovers of the show...tough.  Yep, that's how I feel.  Oh, and for those wondering...I will continue watching the English wonder, despite the changes.  Sure, I jumped on the bandwagon and started watching way late.  But, I'm not a fair weather fan...until something drastic (this isn't drastic, this is life) happens, I will continue enjoying the trivial happenings of Downton Abbey.

2-4-1

Two for one!  Get it?  2-4-1.  Oh, c'mon.  

In unrelated to blog news, JZ has returned from Cali, not in time to "celebrate" the holiday.  It's funny how holidays are supposed to work out.  Expectations, thoughts, rituals, and past experiences all play into these things.  Based on the previous, we either look forward to or dread certain holidays.  Really, it makes me think of Sheldon in Big Bang Theory.  His rule of reciprocity is spot on, even if he is a crazy scientist.

February 15:  CARTOONS
As a child, we only got the normal network channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, WB?, etc.).  It was probably a good choice, considering I remember spending a lot of time outside making mud soups and playing games in the yard.  I doubt children today make a lot of mud soups or even know what Red Rover is/was.  Anyway, Saturday mornings were made for cartoons.  I ate a lot of cereal while watching Bobby's World or TaleSpin.  Later on, Darkwing Duck, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Pinky and the Brain were favorites.  But, let's be honest, I actually had to Google 90s cartoons to remember some of these.  But not Bobby's World.  Fun fact, Howie Mandel was the creator and starred in it.  Thank you, IMDB.  It seems weird to me.  Don't cha know?

February 16:  DREAM HOUSE
Random prompt.  Yep.  Well, there are a few things I'm looking for in a future home.  I want a large kitchen with a separate dining area.  I want pantry space or possible a lazy susan.  I want a bathroom attached to my/our bedroom.  Said bathroom is to have a large tub, but not the kind with feet coming out of the bottom.  I want a fenced in yard, with space for a small garden, but also an arena for Rosie to run about and play.  Said garden will only be for vegetables, as flowers are hard to sustain.  I want this pipe dream of a house to be in a quiet, friendly neighborhood.  I want to know my neighbors and be able to ask them to watch Rosie or make them muffins on a whim.  I want this area to have sidewalks for easy walking terrain.  Since I'm dreaming, speaking of walking, I'd like to be within walking distance to the local library.  I want to be able to paint, repaint, and decorate the walls to my (our) liking.  I want to be able to put holes in the walls without thinking about our deposit being hacked to pieces.  I want to have a front (for drinking lemonade swinging on the obvious porch swing) and back porch (for grilling out and catching fireflies).  I want a separate room for a washer/dryer, with room to set up a ironing board...for ironing?  I've accumulated a variety of souvenirs from many "foreign" locations.  I'd like to finally put all of them on display, thus having a smorgasbord room.  That way my porcelain cat from Mexico can watch over my wooden jewelry box from Costa Rica, etc., etc.  I'd like this dream home to be lived in, not just a house.  I want visitors, friends, and family to feel at home in this place as well.  Most of all, I want each space to have purpose and memories throughout, much like all of my favorite places have had.

February Blog "Sponsor"

For the rest of February, I will be using prompts my mom has given me to write about.  Keep in mind, these are all over the map.  So hold on tight!  It could be a bumpy ride.

February 13:  STARS

As most Bobcats know, Emeriti Park holds a special place in my heart.  I'm not sure many know why, though.  Easily put, that's where we got engaged the day before I graduated with my Bachelor's degree from OU.  But why there?  What made that place special?

Back in 2005, when JZ and I started dating, we took a lot of walks.  Most of the time they led no where in particular.  My most vivid memory of us dating goes back to a walk to Emeriti Park. 

After spending the majority of our night with friends off campus, we took the long way back to our residence hall.  Yes, it's a residence hall.  When we got to Emeriti, the sky was so lit up with stars that it hardly seemed nighttime.  Instead of continuing our trek, we stopped in the park, sat on a bench (that I now call ours), and just looked up and around in awe.  The night was already memorable, just based on the overall beauty.  After talking and staring at the sky for a while, JZ admitted that he had seen the stars and sky like that.  He said that before he had wished he had someone to share the experience with.  He was happy that it was with me the second time around.  Please hold all awwws, thank you.  And that's my favorite story about stars!

February 14:  VALENTINE'S DAY
I'm not sure when it started (or how) but a while back, my mom started doing Valentine's Day cookies.  Keep in mind, most of the "family" cookies came from a refrigerated roll or the break-away pieces, so this was special (obviously).  So, these, as far as I can tell, were made from scratch.  Lots of icing, design, and decorations.  Beautiful cookies...but they didn't travel well.  Imagine the bumpy ride from London to Athens (both Ohio, NOT overseas!) while I was in college.  Although Valentine's Day is like any other day (for the most part), these cookies reminded me, no matter where I was (Athens, Perrysburg, or Toledo) that my family was thinking of me, regardless of the distance.

The Home Stretch

Note, I had started this post prior to today.  On that exact day, January 30, it would've actually been considered the home stretch.  Yep.  Now that it's not the actual home stretch, and more like swinging late and missing the ball, here goes.

January 30:  BIGGEST FLAW
I don't have a good feeling about this piece.  My biggest flaw?  Hm, let's go physical with this one.  One that's been showing up a lot lately is related to my feet.  Because I am one of the most clumsy people known to man, I only wear shoes that are close to the ground.  I have approximately eight pairs of flats, two pairs of tennis shoes, and an outrageous amount of flip flops.  Obviously, I wear socks with my tennis shoes and nothing with my flops.  They make small stretchy pieces of fabric that you're supposed to wear with flats.  I do, on occasion, but not as much as I should.  Biggest physical flaw?  My feet stink.  Or they sweat too much.  Or I wear my flats too much.  Or, I should just wear those no show "socks" with my flats.  But, I don't.  That my friends, is probably off the TMI scale, it's so ridiculous.  But that was the prompt!  So, in review, stay away from my flats and feet.

January 31:  FAVOuRITE
I don't spell favorite with a 'u' but that is the prompt.  Favorite...what?  Recently, my favorite thing in the entire world is...napping.  I took a long, nice, warm, peaceful, and invigorating nap on Thursday.  It was a day changer.  When I woke up I got a lot of things done and was even able to stay up for Scandal!  The next day (Friday, the day I was supposed to write this blog), I woke up before my alarm even went off!  Yep, naps are my favorite.  I must figure out how to get more of these glorious things!

My Multiple Homes

I get a lot of crap from portions of my family when I refer to my parents' home as my home.  Since leaving home for college, I've had ten different residences, yet my home remains the same.  Sure, I live in Virginia now, in an apartment, that is currently my home.  I think my major setback is that none of those have been permanent.  When we first moved to Harrisonburg, I compared renting houses to apartments.  Unfortunately many did not allow pets, so I gave up and here we are.  Since we've lived here, I've subscribed to a listing of local houses on the market in a semi-reasonable-but-still-ridiculous price range.  Today though, when a new house came through, I took a look.  I realize we are not in that place that we can actually buy a house, but it's nice to think about.  One of the houses I had previously marked as a maybe had came down in price.  With that drop, the mortgage became less than our monthly rent for our apartment.  It seems impossible and ridiculous (again, I know) but the space there and yard, and deck, and on and on and on...just is so...blargh...out of reach?...ridiculous?...confusing.

So there you have it...my thoughts on a new home, that may be coming sooner than originally thought.

Bam!  I hit publish.  Mom and Dad, I'm going to trivia tonight and no, I don't want to talk about this post.   Love you!

Surprise!

In preparation for my department's Super Bowl Chili Cook-off, I made a test batch on Sunday.  This was my first attempt making chili, so it made sense to try it out prior to office humiliation.  I opted to make a vegetarian version, as we have a couple omnivores.  I found a recipe for sweet potato chili on allrecipes.com.  After reading the reviews and gathering the non-meat ingredients, I ended up with the recipe below.

Sweet Potato Chili (4 servings)

1 sweet potato, diced (I suggest microwaving the potato prior to avoid A-breaking the knife or B-breaking your hand.  Also, the smaller chunks the better.)

12 ounces diced, stewed tomatoes with chili seasoning

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup sweet onion, diced

1/3 cup celery, diced

1/4 cup water

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup corn

12 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed

1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

pinch teaspoon ground cumin

pinch ground cinnamon

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of salt

pinch of ground black pepper

pinch of garlic powder

pinch of onion powder

The original recipe was for cooking in a crockpot, but I opted for stovetop cooking to avoid the 2-1/2 hour wait.  After mixing the mess in a large pot and cooking on medium until it got a little bubbly (I know, that's very technical, I should write cookbooks.) it was good to go.  The surprise part is two-fold.  

Looks nasty, I know.  I also know it's delicious.

One, the chili was really good.  I mean, not to brag, but the picky, picky, picky husband had a spoonful last night and a WHOLE BOWL tonight.  That means, whoa, I make a MEAN chili.  Oh yeah!  Boasting over...now.  Part two of the surprise...the chili was very hot.  Whoa.  So hot, that I had to Google it and text my dad, the chili connoisseur.  For the record, everyone has their own way to fix hot chili, but most just say to leave it alone.  I opted for milk as my beverage while eating, in case you were wondering.

So, for the next go round, AND the win at work, I'm cutting the cayenne pepper.  I'm hoping that'll wind it down a little bit.  I'll keep you posted if that happens to be surprise number three!

Regrets?

Let's keep this light, shall we?

I regret not getting a new vacuum earlier.  The feeling of clean carpet on bare feet can't be beat.  I regret that my family did not pass any kind of green finger gene on to me.  I can't keep anything plant-like fully alive for more than a couple weeks.  Luckily though, I can revive plants like those paddles that doctors use.  CLEAR!  (They're called defibrillators.  I just looked it up.)  I regret spending time with people with clear ulterior motives.  Yep, no explanation on that one.  At this very moment, I regret not buying more warm, cozy socks.  Oh yeah, these ankle socks are perfect...for the summer.  I need more ugly tall, warm, stay in the house socks.  Add that to my mental shopping list.  I regret that I didn't branch out more in college.  I had my job, which helped me meet all kinds of people, and my future (now? current?) husband.  Other than that, I stuck with the people I liked in my classes and work people.  I didn't spend much time building "lifelong friendships" outside of that.  And now?  I have that one friend who was an awful worker, but great friend, that I still talk with weekly.  Oh, and that husband of mine.  Everyone else?  Gone.  Sure they wish me happy birthday in September and I reciprocate, but that's it.  Whoa long explanation.  Moving on.  I continually regret that it takes me longer to get out of my shell than other people.  (Note, I had to return Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, as the due date was again looming.  I'm really failing at being a proper book hoarder.)  I'm not really sure how to work on this, or even if it's an option.  Lastly, I regret buying that lemon of a car in 2007.  That Saturn L200 was the biggest headache for a longer time than needed.  From that, I've learned that a new car is worth the "awful depreciation  that everyone nags about.  New car, no problems. That's totally unrelated to "Mo money, mo problems."

Blargh.

I really have an excuse for yesterday's post not being written.  I got sick.  Real sick.  I won't bore or gross you out with the details, but please know it was awful.  Aw.  Ful.  Ok, imagine Aubrey from Pitch Perfect projectile vomiting into the crowd.  Yep, it was pretty much like that.

January 25 (one day late):  el oh vee ee.

For us humans, that's LOVE.  So, for a real quick read...last night I ate a lot of sugar free gummy fish and bears.  I have done this before, which ended badly, but I tried again.  Let's just say I like gummy bears/worms/fish and was trying to be "healthy."  Related to the top message about being sick...at 5:20 this morning, I was unable to leave the bathroom.  Luckily I had taken my phone with me and was able to wake up the super sound sleeper with only two texts.  He was able to bring me medicine and water and braved the smell coming from the bathroom.  That's how I know he loves me and cares whether I survive.  The end.

January 26:  Winter/Summer

Lately our weather has been cold.  Like legs numbing cold.  Like cold wind that makes your eyes tear up cold.  Like Rosie-walking is unbearable cold.  Yet today, we braved the wind chill and temperature in the 15-25 range to walk the dogs at SPCA, because we signed up to, and let's face it, no one else was there to do it.  It was only 1.5 hours of our time, and cold for the dogs too, but I love being there.  Spending time with them is very meaningful to the dogs and the employees of the SPCA.  So, in a super roundabout way...no matter the season, no matter the temperature, the dogs there warm my heart and I will continue to volunteer there for as long as we're in this area.  For the record, I feel that fits both prompts.  So, BOOYAH!

Falling Behind

Oh man, I've fallen behind again.  How does this happen?  I even talked about my blog with my parents for ten minutes or more.  Yet, I failed to get it together enough to write yesterday.  And now today.  Well, guess what?  Double post time!

January 23 (only a day late!):  DESSERT
Favorite desserts?  Comparison between homemade and store bought desserts?  Nah, let's make this semi-complicated, this time.  Every day, Rosie has her evening meal (normally straight dry dog food) before we have our human dinner.  However, after she completes her meal, no matter the quality or quantity, she is very interested in what we happen to be eating. I've started thinking of our remnants as Rosie's dessert.  It may be some stray alfredo sauce, some vegetables from tacos, or even the last piece of a hot dog bun that no longer holds a hot dog.  In our human world, that stuff is useless mess that would usually go in the sink for a quick rinse.  In Rosie's world, that's her favorite dessert after her evening meal.

Today, January 24:  TEACHERS
Back in high school, I went to a defensive driving course.  I obviously didn't need it, considering my impeccable driving record, minus that one speeding ticket that should be erased from my insurance soon.  Anyway, it was free and fun.  We got to drive Honda Civics, hard and fast, on a variety of terrains.  We tested how fast cars actually stop, when going different speeds.  I strongly believe that experience is the best teacher.  This safe environment made it easy to understand the way that cars worked and under what conditions.  Although I've probably forgotten the capital of Thailand, the year the Magna Carta was drafted, and who wrote The Star Spangled Banner, I for sure remember what was taught in my driving course.  My favorite piece (that really applies to everything):  When in doubt, keep feet out!  Especially during snow, rain, ice, etc.  Sure, I had my favorite teachers in elementary school (Miss Anderson), middle school (Mrs. Self), and high school (Mrs. Clawson), but really only the basics and daily used items have stuck throughout the years.  I drive everyday.  It's not an option to forget how to drive safely.  

Just as a reminder for the rest of the month's prompts...

Rosie

The prompt for today is kids.  Last year at this time, I would've been able to write, don't have any.  Case closed.  However, in August of this past year, we adopted a darling beagle from a nearby SPCA.  She used to be Darla.  She used to run away from home frequently.  She used to be a shelter dog.  Now?  Now, she's Rosie, she's loved and spoiled.  She walks at least two miles a day, every day.  She has her own CHAIR.  She's our kid and she's worth every penny.

Forgive my wild hair.  I was just so excited to adopt her.  This was the day before we took Rosie home.

Since that day in August, we have started volunteering at our local SPCA.  We've went from being socializers, to dog walkers.  Spending time with those babies (ok, they're all not really babies) reminds me that Rosie had been in that SPCA for over a month.  She could've been one of those dogs that had been there for many, many months.  But, we came along.  We are her family.  Because some of those dogs will wait for their new family, for a long, long time, I want to be that pseudo-family.  So yes, we have one real baby, BUT many, many beautiful foster babies...that just so happen to be living elsewhere.

Spoiled rotten and loving it.

Mood Board?

Wait, the prompt for January 21 is Mood Board?  Uh.  Well, I don't actually have one of those, nor do I know what it is.  I'm picturing a mood ring, tacked to a bulletin board.  That's probably way off.  Instead of spending time trying to figure it out, I'm going to update my book hoarding.  Mood board vs. book hoarding.  Yep.

1. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks Four stars...if it wasn't for the awful part about the woman going into a coma, it would've been perfect. It would've been too easy to just be a love story, though, I guess.
2. Bossypants by Tina Fey (returned to the library with the impending doom of the due date)
3. Between You and Me by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus Ugh, three stars? After I read the whole book, I looked up others' reviews. Apparently the book is semi-based on Britney Spears' life thus far. I can see it, but had I known that prior...nope, wouldn't have read it. It was kinda like a car crash. So bad, but hard to look away.
4. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilynn Jackson (not to be confused with JoshuaJackson!)
5. Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
6. January First: A Child's Descent into Madness and Her Father's Struggle to Save Her by Michael Schofield
7. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (My Myers-Briggs always says I'm an introvert. Let's see if this book agrees.)
8. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
9. the five people you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom (it just hurt my brain to not capitalize the title. Yowch.)
10. Ordinary People by Judith Guest

Fun fact:  I'm two books ahead of schedule!  Woo!

Scenery

What is that saying?  Something about "Don't forget to stop and smell the roses."?  No matter, the saying, well, kinda, that's how I feel about scenery.  Particularly stunning skies, weather, mountains, and cliffs overlooking seemingly small cities.  Instead of writing a super lengthy post as to why I love all these items, please check out the beauty below.  I'm mostly talking about the view, and not the husband and dog.  But they're pretty great too, and they make my life what it is, beautiful.  (Ahem, this post is supposed to be beautiful.  Ba dum cha.)

This is the wild mountain dog and her handler, photo taken on Skyline Drive in Virginia.

Playing Catch-up

Ok, ok, ok.  I know I'm two days behind.  I blame my parents.  Ever since I found out that they actually semi-religiously read my blog, I've shied away.  Ok, maybe that's not the reason.  Maybe I've been a little busy with work, and trying to count calories, read books, and generally be a good person.  Yeah, that's probably the reason.  Or maybe, I just had nothing good to write about rhymes or advice.  Or maybe, it's procrastination.  Yeah, that's probably the reason.

January 17 (two days late):  RHYME
Have you ever actually listened to some of your favorite music?  I went through a weird phase a long time ago, that instead of singing to the music at the top of my lungs, I listened to the words.  I tried to understand what they were singing about.  Most of all, I wondered if the things musicians sang about were actual life issues or just made up, because it was easy to sing about.  

On a less philosophical note, I noticed (among other things), that often the words in popular songs don't rhyme.  In fact, it's not even close.  Take for example, LFO's Summer Girls, ok, that's weird example, but it's one I remember.  "New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits."  "Chinese food makes me sick."  Seriously.  You can't make this stuff up.  I mean, they did, but I didn't.

January 18 (one day late):  ADVICE
Yesterday, the day I should've (why does should've always have a red squiggly line under it?  It's a word!) blogged, I spent a couple hours in a group interview for student workers.  So, the advice I'm going to share with the five people that read my blog, are things I noticed in that setting.  These things should be common knowledge, but were not in this case.

Be punctual.  Timing is everything.  You have to assume that is your very first impression to the interviewer.  Others can fail with the first impression, but by the time that happens, you were already way behind.  Try to be normal.  Nervousness is normal, especially in this setting.  Although it may feel like it's taking over your entire body, don't overcompensate.  There's nervous, normal, and crazy.  Crazy isn't going to get you the job.  It'll get you noticed, duh.  But, not in a good way.  Maintain some boundaries.  You don't know these people.  They don't know you.  Show the true you that you strive to be every day.  Being yourself will give the interviewers a good vision of what you'll look like in various situations that specific position will encounter.  Above all, think.  Think before you answer questions.  This isn't necessarily the early bird catches the worm scenario.  People that think on their feet are great.  People that think more clearly after given a moment to process are sometimes better. Oh, and wear sunscreen.  No, just kidding, the interview wasn't outside.  But it's a good ending line.  And it makes sense.  And it's good advice.

January 19 (not late at all...Boom!):  SUPERPOWER
While interviewing for other student positions, we asked "If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?"  It broke up the monotonous "Why should we pick you?" and "Tell us how you work in a team" questions.  It also loosened up the candidates.  We received answers all over the board.  One would like to control the weather.  Another wanted to be able to speed-read books (for both academics and pleasure.  One wanted to fly.  A couple wanted to time travel.

After hearing all their answers, I tried to formulate mine.  I often have dreams where I fly high across the land, through the clouds, and look down at people who resemble ants.  Nah, that's out.  I've lately been joking that I want to rearrange the states (putting Virginia and Ohio side by side of course).  Is that even a superpower?  What is that called?  Nah.  I think if I could pay for something for me and just me, it would be my own road.  This one road, that is a one way street of course (because I'm the only one on it, duh) goes from my current home to my childhood home, work, and some favorite places.  Knowing that the construction on this private road will probably drain my bank account, I'll go back to superpowers, in hopes that they are free, somehow.  I would like to be able to snap my fingers (similar to how in I Dream of Jeannie, she twitches her nose) and travel to anywhere of my liking.  That'll save time, money, and packing issues (since I'll have to have my luggage in my other hand, of course). Likely I will go to the normal places, that my private imaginary road would lead, but I'd rather snap.  Yeah, snapping's easy.  Can I contact the people sponsoring the blog challenge to cash in on this superpower?

Meatloaf Lyrics?

Oh boy, this post could be interesting, if I think about it some more.  In fact, it has such potential to be awesome, that I think I'll let this one fall flat.  The January Blog Challenge topic is “I would do anything for love…but I won’t do that.”  Let’s see, I wouldn't wear Crocs, leather pants, Uggs, Converse sneakers, giant hoop earrings, tall athletic socks, button-down shirts with collars (gagging), or leggings, of any color, type, or make.  I wouldn't wear lipstick, smoke cigarettes, or drink whiskey or buttermilk.  I wouldn't eat red velvet cake, anything with mint in it, blue cheese, liver, or raw cauliflower.  I wouldn't be caught dead in unnatural hair color, a sweater or shirt dress, or wearing a non-coordinated purse to clothing color.

Oh, and Johnny Depp.  Won't watch him, ever.  And heavy metal or hard rock.  No thanks.

Very random, I know.  I’m sure I’ll think of more as time goes on, but let’s face it.  I’m not Meatloaf.  I don’t have to play by these rules.  I do what I want.

Carpooling

During the two weeks that we were waiting on a new Virginian title for the old Ohioan Escort, we carpooled to work.  Keep in mind, we work at the same college campus, so it wasn't that big of inconvenience.  It’s funny though, since we work on opposite sides of campus, the difference is only 1.3 miles, but normally takes about ten minutes with traffic, especially since you cannot go directly through campus.

I had a mini-grudge about this carpooling business, since it threw off my schedule.  I like my schedule.  I know what time I need to leave every morning, how long it takes me to walk to my office, and the shortcuts if needed.  I had my morning alone time.  I thought of everything that I needed to get done that day and made a mental list.  I jammed.  Yeah, that's right, I sang to Michael Jackson or Buble.  Sometimes, I even belted out some Taylor Swift.  It hurts to write that, since I didn't actually like any of her music until her latest album.  Tangent over.  I liked my drive to work.  It was a great start to the day.

Sharing my ride was ok, just not great, like I wanted.  Fast forward to now.  He has a new car.  We don't need to carpool anymore.  The weird thing is...I don't want to drive myself to work anymore.  I've started enjoying some company on my drives in.  Oh, and getting dropped off close to my door isn't bad either.

Calorie Count

Today's post is supposed to be about food.  In a roundabout way, mine will be.

What feels like a really long time ago, I took a nutrition course, my sophomore year in college.  This course convinced me to become a vegetarian.  That lasted about six months, until my mother opened a can of tuna (I know, what a weird thing to bring me to the light) and I was done.  The same class suggested that I count calories of what I was eating, if not for anything else, just to see how healthy I was.

From then on, well kinda, off and on, I counted my calories, for a hopeful change.  Unless you're a label reader, you're unlikely to know just how many calories are in ONE slice of American cheese.  That'll make you think twice about a double-sliced grilled cheese AND tomato soup.

Not only does this website (and now app) house your calorie intake, but it keeps track of your other stats.  Carbs.  Fats.  Nutrients.  Vitamins.  The whole thing, for free.  No, I'm not getting any kind of cash money from this post.  I am not a sponsor of Calorie Count.  I just believe it gives you some insight on your life and what you can do to make it better and last longer.  Besides, YOLO!