Once In a Blue Moon

Well first of all, say hello to the new banner up above! Since Blogger widened their blog sizes, it was beginning to bother me that my banner wasn't stretching all the way across....so I made a new one. Which of course led to more feelings of "OMG I HATE GIMP!!one!1!", but I think I did pretty damn well for such a simple program. I still wish it was able to do all of the things that Paint Shop Pro 7 was able to do, but whatever...

I think it should also be mentioned that the photo itself is one that I've taken. It's of Sylvan Lake in the Black Hills, originally a panoramic shot that I shortened up a little bit. I was also experimenting with lighting and exposure on this particular trip, which is why the sky is white instead of blue. :/ But it's why I love South Dakota. Like my old banner, it was a lame picture taken out of the windshield of our car. We were in the Badlands, though, and with that little bit of curvy road in there, with the song lyrics so directed towards cars, it ended up being perfect. This is a very photographic state that I'm lucky to live in.

Don't be surprised if the banner changes again, though. I'm looking for a suitable quote to put in the lower right hand corner. For some reason, something from the Sleep Talking Man is calling out to me...even though the quotes would probably be entirely opposite of anything that ends up here. Egotistical quote up there? Not really reflective of what this whole thing is...but it would match my sense of humor perfectly. Hmmm.....just had a thought. "Learning to live like the hamster, with hamster virtues." Now THAT would be perfect. Much different from the cheesy song lyrics that I had up there before. Granted that's the entire inspiration of the blog title, but hey, sometimes change is for the better. :3

And now for the reason of this post. It's spotty at most for me to remember any of my dreams, and most of the dreams I do remember aren't really worth remembering because of some very uneasy feelings afterwards. Whether or not they're nightmares or not is yet to be decided....like a short while ago I had a strange dream. I had purchased my first house. It was a small house, but it was cute and clean, even though the neighborhood was really strange and was apparently the area to drag race. Ironically, the street I live next to currently? Very much loved by the drag race kids. Yeah. :/ Long story short, I had this moment in my dream where I sort of realized "What the hell? I'm too young to be buying my own house! This isn't the time for me to be buying my own house! What about my parents?!" In hindsight, it wasn't that bad, but I think the fact that I had no roommates either seemed to only extrapolate those feelings of loneliness....So when I woke up, I did have that sort of nightmarish tug.

I remember another dream I had a month or so ago, also. It was weird, because it was set on campus, and there was snow everywhere. Snow? I think it was snow....I think it was a blizzard. Sadly it's been a while now since I last thought about it, but all I remember was people everywhere indoors and really shitty weather outside. Sort of like a blizzard/tornado warnings. It was one or the other. But that one really sucked, really. I hate winter...mostly because I have to walk in it to get to classes. Grawr.

The dream I had last night, however, was a lot different. It was actually pretty awesome, and I don't remember my awesome dreams. If I do, it only happens once in a blue moon or so. Anyhow, I was going on a plane trip to someplace in California with some small group of kids. I'd say about five of us total. We had some older guy that was leading us around and stuff. Now the dream was set in what I would describe as an airport/college campus. The campus part was mostly because towards the end, I ran into a guy I know from college at this same and/or similar location. That was only a small snippet, though, so I think it was mostly an airport. A very pretty airport, with lots of windows. It also had multiple floors on one side, sort of like there were three stories or more. Definitely not any airport I've ever been in. It was a very pretty building though, almost business-like. I think it was the windows and openness of the building that didn't give me any uneasy feelings. And it was sunny! :D

Now for the fun part. This little group of five of us were on this special secret trip. Super secret! We were on a manhunt. I don't know why, but we had to go find this particular dude amongst a crapton of other people. There was even a fun chase, where we had to jump from floor to floor to try and catch the dude. It was pretty intense, but we did get them. The whole thing just felt very FBI-ish? I don't know, maybe White Collar's premiere got to me the other night, even though I wasn't paying nearly enough attention to it, lol!

I think the best part of the dream, though, came at the end. We were heading back to the plane and stuff, and that older dude who took us on the trip? He said something about having another whole mission thing back in that same city or something like that. And I was totally thinking HELL YEAH SIGN ME UP! So that is pretty much how my dream ended. Very optimistic that I was going on this awesome adventure soon, and had just completed an awesome adventure. It was so very strange....but damn, was it fun.

Catching Up With, Well Me

Note to self: I really must blog here more often.

Things have been going smoothly over here. Currently I'm spending my summer doing what I like to call "As little as possible while accomplishing as much as possible." How do I do this? By spending my days playing Sims 3. When I'm not playing Sims, I'm busy reading or sewing. I've finished about five books and almost one quilt since college let out.

Speaking of books, this week absolutely killed me. Yesterday I went out and bought five more books to read:
Hard and Fast - Erin McCarthy
In Other Worlds - Sherrilyn Kenyon
Cupid Cats - Katie MacAlister & Vicki Lewis Thompson, et al
An Unforgettable Lady - JR Ward
The Know-It-All - AJ Jacobs

(Guess which one is not like the others....)

So I have a bit of reading ahead of me for the next month or so. Then when I'm not reading, I'm busy sewing. I like to think of my quilts as coming together in three parts: the Quilt Top phase, the Quilting phase, and the Binding phase. So far this summer, I've got one quilt top finished and is off at the Pin Cushion to have the amazing ladies there quilt it for me! Which is actually about the farthest I've gotten on my own...now I have a second quilt, which I actually had nearly completed last summer, that I want to finish. It's at the final stages of the quilt top, and then I can give it to my grandmother for quilting. She knows some ladies that do hand quilting three days a week at the senior center, and I think this quilt will be perfect for that. Once that one past the quilt top stage, THEN I want to start on a Rhythm & Blues quilt with this awesome frosted fabric I got....yeah, I have plans. But so little time for them all, lol.

Lately, though, I haven't had the motivation to do either, really. I seem to spend the most time playing Sims 3, which really is a bad habit to get into. I did get a break with the latest Nancy Drew game, but I really need to go through it a second time because I missed so much the first time around. Gahhh...

On the upside, both White Collar and Psych are having their season premieres this week. Yes! And both of of those shows have their season DVDs releasing on Tuesday. Double YES!

But anyhow. I guess the biggest hurdles to cross will come the 16th on. Sam is going to be spending the night at our house for her birthday, so we're talking probably the night of the 17th & 18th busy. Then on the 20th we're driving to the Amana Colonies. It wasn't my original plans for spending my birthday, but it's better than nothing really. And it's not like I'm turning 21 or anything major....I'm easily pleased. I remember for a few years straight my birthday plans were to curl up on the couch and watch Dale Jr's DVD. I can't even remember what it was called, but I was young and appreciated the sight of his shirtless, all-too-skinny ass...gawd.

I don't want my summer to disappear so fast. But I sort of miss my Verm friends, too. :/

A Quickie.

Whenever I'm reminded of stereotypes, it gets me thinking.

No, South Dakota does not have a Norwegian accent. I know we have some sort of accent, but it's definitely not Norwegian. That's farther north/east. And in my family, I know we don't have Norwegian blood, so we can't have the accent logically. In fact, my family is German-Russian to be specific. Plus, my grandparents, great aunts/uncles, and farther back all continued to speak German even after settling in the US. Essentially, my family didn't settle here until after the Civil War. Short time in retrospect, huh?

Plus, just look at how many journalists come from South Dakota, let alone the Midwest. We have the least distinct accent, so it's most appealing for a neutral newsy voice. :)

It's funny, though. People still believe that we have to defend our homes from the Indians. Really? Really? Many of the Native Americans won't even leave the reservations because they don't have the motivation to, and when most of the aren't even sober...yeah. It takes a very special Native American to break from the hold of their history and make a name for themselves. It's happened, but when most would rather just live off of free money, then spend it on alcohol purchased in the gas stations juuuust on the other side of the reservation's border in Nebraska? It's a harsh reality. I'm just glad to have met those who have learned to make something of themselves.

I guess my problem is that while the alcoholic, no-good stereotypes aren't indicative of all Native Americans, it's hard to believe anything else when that's all you've had contact with. I've met plenty of them that are really nice and know how to make a living. Now in the case of my uncle, he was a cop in Pierre. Pierre is just a hop and a skip away from many of the reservations in SD. And as a cop, the job does not really allow for much contact with decent people. Therefore, my uncle has only had contact with the no-good Native Americans. So I really don't blame him for becoming disillusioned that there are good people out there. But there are, and I'm not a fan of generalizations.

And no, we don't live in teepees. Amg, they don't have air conditioning! :/

Let's Hope There Isn't a Third Person...

Something's in the water this summer. Yeah, that must be it... In short, I've lost two people in the past couple of weeks. One I didn't know all that well, the other one of my heroes. Both of them had shown me kindness to me, though, just in different ways.

My grandfather passed away on Memorial Day. It was almost too fitting, my grandpa the WWII vet passing away on the day that our nation remembers our soldiers and veterans. He sacrificed so much for our country, and the military book he put together of his papers and photos is a fantastic compilation of that. And I'm proud that he passed it on to me, because I really love looking through the book.

Then yesterday, June 9, Tim Waterman died. And really, the feelings that I have on the matter go something like this.....Goddamnit, Tim! Why did you have to go and take the coward's way out? You were one of the strongest kids I knew. You made life your bitch, not the other way around. You had friends that loved you, a girlfriend that loved you (even though you seemed to have plenty of those around), and a whole crew of cage fighters who would skin their own hides before letting anyone talk shit about you. I know that many felt intimidated by you (myself included), but it only took a few conversations with you that I learned you had a soft spot. You showed me respect and kindness and weren't an arrogant asshole, unlike some people I know....and you earned every ounce of respect that you received. Tim, if you were going to end up anywhere, I expected it to be in jail laughing at the world, not six feet under....you're sorely missed. I'm glad that I was able to share a handful of classes with you, four years of high school with you, and even more glad that I got to witness two of your years on the wrestling team. For placing third at State, you won't be forgotten.

It's pretty typical, actually. Even in death, Tim knows how to piss people off. Good thing we respect the hell out of him too much to think much of anything else.

I think I'll go into my grandpa later on. In the meantime, I've been using The Sims 3 as a coping/procrastination tool. I have a scholarship letter that I need to get done this week, but I don't have the motivation to do it. :P

Post #101: Procrastinating, Puppies and Lover Mine

Why yes, this is my 101st post! And what a wonderful day to use it!

1) There are puppies and kittens out by the dorms today. AMG, greatest way to shamelessly plug the Humane Society! :3 Annnnnd I got to hold a baby kitten!!! It was so adorable, teeny little blackish one with a hint of gray! We think it was afraid of heights, it would start mewing a bunch, so I ended up making a little nest for it to snuggle in with my arms--where it promptly fell asleep. It was so soft and light and fuzzy! :D

2) Today we had two of our classmates for Ideas in History play their cellos for us, it was quite impressive. Followed by a trip to the Music Museum and wandered around there for the rest of class. Yay for something enjoyable for once!

3) I really should be working on my 12-15 page major paper for Ideas in History, but I don't really want to. Even though the topic really isn't that much of a mood killer. It's taking a bunch of stuff we read and relating them to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. At least that's what I chose to do it off of. But gah, that's too much writing....So instead of working on this paper, I'm obsessing over this:

Ohhhh yes......by far one of the most anticipated books to come out in a long time. Bigger than Sherrilyn Kenyon's books in my opinion. Just for recording sake, it's about John Matthew and Xhex. Messed up little relationship (but by far not the most messed up), and they finally got their own book! Plus JM has been in most all of the books by now....and he's mute. But that makes his character just a little more cool.

I must admit, JR Ward has a way of messing with someone's head. She's not one of my favorite authors. Frankly the writing is left to be desired, or maybe I just don't appreciate gangsta speak and shameless product plugs that are unnecessary as hell. Also, it's pretty fucked up when Ward says she has no control over the characters. Uhm, YES, yes you do. It just depends on what your imagination comes up with as the best solution. My god....anyhow.

Now the thing with Ward is that she has disappointed us in the past. In V's book, she killed off Jane. Fuckin' A, you don't kill off the heroine unless you have a good reason!! Granted, there wasn't much else of a choice, but oh well. However, that's just it...I was sort of afraid that she would disappoint the same way. Not so much with John & Xhex, but after doing some skimming....

Well, to start. I was skimming through reading little parts, and when I was looking at the beginning I realized that I was reading a totally new point of view: Blaylock's. So YAY! Did some more searching, and whadya know, there's Qhuinn's point of view. To put long story short:

Ahh, so glad to see you two again. Aren't they smexy? Hells yes....

Anyhow, to explain these two. Say hello to Blay and Qhuinn. They've been BFFs since forever, and BFFs of John Matthew. But here's the deal! Blay's gay. Qhuinn's got one blue eye and one green eye. Blay loves Qhuinn. Qhuinn loves Blay, but that would mean just one more reason to be an outcast besides the different eye colors. Qhuinn's confused as it is because he's bi, but now that he knows how Blay feels, he can't get his bestie out of his head.

Now, for Lover Mine. Primarily, Qhuinn's so bull-headed that he thinks that special woman will help him remedy his outcast-ness. It's not going to work, so why suffer the way they are? Pfft....To put it simply, Ward's too damn good at creating dynamic characters. Which is why I love these two too much to want them with anyone else.

The good news that I got today is that they WILL in fact be together. But not in Lover Mine, not quite yet. Hopefully the next one will, though. Grawr!

And just to bask in the full awesomeness that was in the above picture:

Hmmm...interesting.

Story of My Life

Ohh Blogspot, how I have neglected you...but not tonight!

My life will potentially change now. To start, there is the guy in my Creative Writing class named Joe. Long story short, he covertly asked me if I had a boyfriend, in which I decided to be honest and tell him no, I'm single.

He therefore made the comment that he was surprised that I was single, then laughed it off by saying it had been a pretty obvious & shameless way of checking to see if I was single. But I like the straightforwardness, 'cause the whole 'asking to hang out sometime' routine is getting old. Then he followed his surprise by saying 'you're fucking cute'. Wellllll I think I could forgive the swearing for the quite adorable compliment. Just sayin'.

We'll see what happens further with Joe. I'm not expecting too much--in fact, I'm expecting nothing. :P

Now for potential #2. It is pretty much assured that I will get a CA job for next year. Skye is too sure that many of the returning CAs and hall directors like me. However, I can go two ways: be a CA for the Honors floor in Beede, my current floor, and be a CA with Brett. Or, I will be a CA with Dillon on 4th Beede, because he is hoping to have a co he can get along with and actually know beforehand. Personally, I would like to see Brett and Dillon duke it out to see who will win me for their wife--*cough* I mean co-CA.

Wishful thinking? Probably, but it's an entertaining picture in my head. :D

It's only in name, anyways. Brett's engaged as of this afternoon. This afternoon being the 11th of April, not today today.....screw technicalities, pfft!

As of now....that's about all I have to say. So I think I shall go back to procrastinating and think about going to bed. Which probably won't happen till later anyways. Bahh.

It's Almost Like I'm Bipolar

I don't know whether I should listen to myself or not most times. To put it lightly, I feel like I'm sick and tired of being single. But then the one moment where friends feels a little too much like something different, and I don't want. I don't want at all.

Or as is another case sometimes, I would rather do things with my girlfriends than act as a sit-in girlfriend for one guy.

To put things long story short, yesterday was CA interviews. I think I did all right, even though I feel like I might have done better. Other people have said I didn't do bad, so that helps...but there were other kids who were much more impressive. And I don't think I have much of a chance of ending up in Beede Hall if they don't put me on the Honors floor...bah, who knows were I'll end up, really.

However, after my individual interview, I ran into Mike (Josh's co-CA) sitting with my long-lost neighbor Brandon. Brandon! My good friend Nicole's older brother. So I ended up sitting with them talking, which was pretty fun. But now....now Mike wants to hang out. And not like "Hey, we should hang out sometime," but as in "Hey, are you free tomorrow?"

Hey, fun, but holy FUCK. Don't you think that's a little soon? Not to mention I've got homework, meetings, etc etc....I'm a busy girl. Really busy. And even though I like my down time, I prefer my down time to be alone. And it wasn't just a one-time try, he's really serious about hanging out. And I, well....I'm not a hanging out type of girl. Yes, I'll do it with other girls, but not with guys. With the exception of Jacob and Andrew. Jacob is missing about half of the rational side of his brain, and Andrew likes True Blood. I can't say anything bad about a guy who has a bottle of Tru Blood sitting in his room!!

Mike's a nice guy, he really is. He plays the guitar, he's in track, and his hair is pretty nice....but I'm just not one to say YES SIGN ME UP! for whatever.

Dating or no dating, I don't want. I'm surprised I would say no to dating right now, but I am. I have so many new opportunities right now, what with Spring Rush starting tomorrow (yay Alpha Xi Delta!), joining the honors societies (ALD/PES), and now applying to be a CA. And with still being on the newspaper, Honors Association, and a shit ton of homework, I don't really have the time to fit in a random bout of hanging out, much less a date.

And I'm horrible at saying no. I can do it, but I hate myself afterwards for it. Even if it's what I want.

I don't even care what the repercussions may be. I may be single for another whole school year or something like that, but I don't really care. I can deal, and I have more pressing matters. Like figuring out how to actually do well in my Honors Ideas in History class. :/

But despite that setback, yesterday was really awesome. I cheered on Alex as he played for a Wii in a Wii Boxing tournament that the CAs held. My individual went pretty well, and I think it helped that I had our hall director Dan as one of the interviewers. He told the other guy (I think they call him Trapper) that he liked me more, which was why he gave me a cinnamon roll a couple weeks ago rather than the other interviewer. I felt special. :D

Not to mention that at the group interviews, our group leader was Dillon. He's really an awesome guy. After when I got back to the North Complex, he was at the front desk with my current male CA Brett. Dillon asked if I was going to be his co-CA next year. Which led to jokes about how I'm the same size as his current co-CA, and how I have big shoes to fill (haha, I have small feet. :P ) and how they could actually probably just leave the clothes in the closet, I'd fit in them. Brett said he'll most likely be staying on 2nd Beede though, so that would be cool being a CA with him if they put me on the Honors floor (like they're supposed to!). Well, unless they decide Laurel's a better fit. But I hope they choose me. :3

Gah. Yesterday was too much testosterone and adrenaline for me, I think. Today I've got some hardcore writing to do before midnight, but first is Alice in Wonderland. Road trip to Yankton!