Cities I Am Considering Living In Post College (A Rough Draft)

Even though I'm only a sophomore undergrad, I've been thinking a lot where I might live in two years, when it comes time to start my career... Grad school will come down the line, after I've established a stable income to pay off student loans (so I'll be going back when I'm 80), or perhaps directly after depending on whether I get a job, in which case the schools will also influence the place I live.

• Issaquah, Washington: Costco corporate headquarters are here, and I would not hate working there right out of college. In fact, I'd probably love it. Plus, Issaquah is a lot quieter than Seattle, which is something I crave, even as a young person.
• Garden Grove, CA: Costco has regional offices here, and I feel that Garden Grove has cheaper real estate than a lot of other parts of California. Plus it would be nice to be near family again.
• Lexington, Kentucky: This came up in my search of the top places to live post-graduation, as a great place for single people to live in. That probably means it is not a great place for me to live, given my degree of social ability, but I think it would just be wild to live somewhere completely apart from everyone as an adult. Plus I feel it's enough in the south to be Southern, but not entirely.
• Chicago, Illinois: I know a lot of people who would not mind living here at some point in their lives, some who even go to this school. I feel like it would be an appropriate mix of social life and chic and metropolitan, yet not too large.
• Wichita, Kansas: I know you're probably thinking, "What is wrong with this girl?". But really, I would love nothing more than to live on Main Street, U.S.A and not know a soul and eat lots of barbecue (surprise) and write and take pictures and have a 40 hour a week day job. Plus if I could just get the Boeing hook up, I feel they have work there as well. I would even overlook the fact that Kansas is landlocked, despite the fact that it would be optimal that my future home is near an ocean (since I grew up so close to it), or at least have a coast I could drive to.

Ok, I know these are some "of course" cities and some surprises (I normally would not consider a city that got particularly hot or cold in summer or winter, but it's going to be hard to be picky since I'll basically go anyplace that will give me a job, imma be real). I guess we'll just have to see where life takes me.

That's Right, Just Become Another Statistic!

That's what my coworker Janet said when I held up a Carter's baby clothes set and said I wanted a baby to dress in adorable matching outfits. Of course, I do not want a baby right now, and I definitely could not handle anything more than a babysitter capacity, i.e. hold the baby and play with it, feed it and change it, then hand the child off to it's parents. Besides knowing this, shows like Teen Mom just solidify the fact that you do not need a child before you're in a stable relationship and fiscally responsible. I am watching the new 16 and Pregnant series (Tuesdays at 10 on MTV), but I also watched the original series and their follow up series Teen Mom, and I feel a sort of allegiance to the original girls.

Farrah and Sofia

Positives: Farrah has a really good life. She lives with her parents in a super nice house, and they provide everything for her and Sofia while she works as a waitress and goes to fake cooking school (one of her assignments is to make food, and then instead of it bringing it into class, she just takes a picture on her iphone. Doesn't that defeat the purpose?). Sofia is adorable and seemingly pleasant.

Negatives: Farrah's mom is crazy. There is no other word for it. Unfortunately, Farrah also seems to still want to party like a teenager, when she really has to realize she is a teen mom, not just a teen. She'll often leave Sofia at home with her parents to go out and party, when she should really stay home and focus on motherhood. Plus, the baby's dad is not in the picture any more.

Gary, Amber, and baby Leah

Positives: Amber really wants to do what is best for Leah, so her even though she has dropped out of school she is trying to get her GED.

Negatives: Leah I think might be a little post-partem depression-y, because she's depressed and angry all the time, thus she fights with Gary ALL THE TIME. Granted the man got her an engagement ring from Walmart for $17 on sale, but still.

Ryan, Maci, and baby Bentley

Positives: Bentley is by far the cutest baby. The older he gets, the more of a ladies killer he becomes. Ryan is also verrry adorable, and I can see why she was attracted to him. Best of all, Maci is my favorite teen mom because she seems to be the mom with her head most directly on her shoulders. When she can't rely on Ryan for support, she doesn't become the victim, she stands up for herself and her baby.

Negatives: Ryan's level of maturity is almost non-existant, and he doesn't make for a very able father. He doesn't seem interested in getting a job or doing anything but mooching off of others.

Catelynn and Tyler

Catelynn and Tyler don't actually have a baby, they gave Carly up for adoption. And I have to say, they definitely seem to be the couple that is doing the best. While the other moms are just trying to make their lives work, Catelynn and Tyler actually get to plan their future. Tyler actually plans on enlisting in the military, and proposes to Catelynn on the season finale. They're young, but are making great big adult decisions.

Ok, now that you have a huge synopsis of one of my most watched shows, I bid you a good Saturday! And don't become a teen mom if you can help it!

Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire!

I tried (unsuccesfully, obviously) to dowload a video of myself like 4 times. I am obviously not technologically savvy. Better luck next time? Talk to you all tomorrow! Have a good weekend!

When I was six, I wanted to be a Sea World Trainer...

Because it combined a lot of my dreams, i.e. riding on sea animals and speaking into a microphone. In all honesty, I still have an obsession with microphones. But in light of recent events, I am glad I am not one.


SeaWorld Trainer 'Loved Her Job,' Says Her Mother
By Blane Bachelor
Thursday February 25, 2010 09:50 AM EST

Dawn Brancheau, the SeaWorld Orlando trainer who died Wednesday after being attacked by a killer whale named Tilikum, had dreamed of working with the huge mammals since childhood. Brancheau's mother, Marion Loverde, told the Orlando Sentinel her daughter, 40, had been inspired by Shamu when she saw the famous whale three decades ago. "It was her dream to do it," Loverde said. "She loved her job." Brancheau, the youngest of six children, studied psychology and animal behavior at the University of South Carolina and worked with dolphins at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey for two years before being hired at SeaWorld, her mother said.But Brancheau, who was married to husband Scott Brancheau for about 13 years after they met at SeaWorld, was aware of her job's inherent dangers. "You can't put yourself in the water unless you trust them and they trust you," she told the Sentinel in 2006.
A Friend for LifeLoverde said her daughter had a warm, outgoing personality – she even sent out 250 Christmas cards yearly. "If you were her friend, you were her friend for life," said Loverde, who last saw her daughter when they attended church together last weekend. "She was very loving, very giving – a good girl, close to her God, close to her family, close to friends." Meanwhile, disturbing details have emerged about Tilikum, who dragged Brancheau into his tank before she drowned. The whale was involved in the deaths of two other people, including another trainer and a man whose naked body was found scratched, bruised and draped over Tilikum's body in 1999, reports CBS News. The first death happened at Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia when a trainer drowned while in the tank with Tilikum. Then, in July 1999, after the whale was sold to SeaWorld Orlando, Daniel Dukes, 27, was found dead in Tilikum's tank after reportedly making his way past security and remaining in the park after it had closed. Wearing only his underwear, Dukes jumped, fell or was pulled into Tilikum's tank and was found mangled and draped over the animal. In 1999, a park official said of Tilikum, "He's not an aggressive animal. He's good with the trainers. He has a good relationship with a lot of the trainers. He understands people."
Was Off-LimitsAccording to the Sentinel however, a former contractor with SeaWorld said trainers were not allowed to get in the water with Tilikum because of these incidents. Describing this week's tragedy, Victoria Biniak, a witness to Wednesday's death, said that "[Tilikum] took off really fast in the tank and he came back, shot up in the air, grabbed the trainer by the waist and started thrashing [her] around." Emergency personnel were called to the park after 2 p.m. but Brancheau could not be revived.

Facts That I Know About Jersey Shore...

- I know I am a little late in posting about Jersey Shore, considering the season is already over and all, but I just love the show so much and cannot wait for the new season.
- Watching JS, despite being somewhat insulting to Italians (depending on how PC you are), makes ME want to be Italian. I want to be a guidette, and go out with a juiced, tanned, spiky-haired guido. JK. But it is a look into a life I never knew but always wanted to try.
- Speaking of which, my favorite episodes of True Life were True Life: I Live On Long Island (or something to that effect, where three girls are trying to get off the island, for whatever reason), and True Life: I'm Getting Married, primarily because of the couple from Staten Island. Please go look them up online, they will have you rolling with laughter.
- Snooki is my favorite girl, simply because she is so outrageous, you couldn't possibly make a "character" up like her. She is all Snooki (real name: Nicole). She is as orange as they come (oompa loompa anybody?), 4 foot 9 (literally that short, she said so on an aftershow once), and wears a poof in her hair (like a bump-it, but much taller). And she makes this annoying baby voice sound.
- My favorite boy is Vinny, because he seems the most normal and I would be comfortable walking down the street with him. He's also educated, and a mama's boy but I can handle that.
- That being said, I am also oddly attracted to Pauly D, though he's the most outrageous looking.
- The Jersey Shore itself looks like a lot of fun, especially for the summer.
- I want a duck phone...
- But probably not a hot tub, too much disease swimming around.

Oh, Nostalgia

When I was a wee child, I stayed with my grandma every day. And every day I would watch this lovely show about a girl robot living with a human family. I was like obsessed with this robo-child named Vicki. I was in fact really upset when they stopped showing reruns, and my grandma was probably relieved because I watched that show obsessively. Come to find out, the first season is coming out on DVD! Does ANYONE remember this show?!

An Untapped Market

In my new room in Chardin, the door is very very heavy. Probably because it used to be an old folks home and was trying to keep the old people in. JK. But this poses a problem because, as opposed to Bell where I could just prop the door open, now I must keep my door open with a door stop. And I must keep my door open sometimes, like when I want to encourage residents to stop by. Or when Courtney is coming over and I don't wanna drag my butt outta bed.

At any rate, I attempted to search for some cute door stoppers online, but to no avail, as the title suggests. Here is the best I could come up with...

Fred Foot in the Door, $9.50

I don't mind shoes. I used to like them a lot more, but now there are just alright. But this door stopper is a lot cuter than most of the other ones I saw, and has got to be better than what I have now, which is a splinter masquerading as a door jam.

http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?itemId=14307

This one is cute too, despite not letting me copy and paste a picture... It's only $13 and looks like a tube of paint. But yah, I'm not thrilled with either, so if anyone finds any cute door stops online (I know, so random, as if), send them my way!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Routine

I, of all people, do not pretend to be mother nature herself. I am really bad at doing ecological things, I just started recycling when we moved to this state four years ago because it's the law, and Courtney has to unplug my phone charger every time she comes into my room because it's not charging anything. Courtney has just interjected aloud that she cannot live anywhere that does not mandate recycling, which pretty much only leaves her Oregon and parts of Washington.

ANYWAYS, the point of this blog is that I do a little recycling myself. Every week my former roommate Maddy lets me know when she has finished her People magazine for the week. I head over and get it from her, and this allows us to catch up on what has been going on in the past week of us being apart. Then I read it, soaking up all the gossip from the glossy pages. Lastly, my mom, who comes to my dorm room approximately every other weekend, will see the People magazine on my bookshelf and say, "Have you read that already?" I will always say yes, and she always takes it to read. Then hopefully it gets recycled.

So basically, this one little magazine makes it's way through three people, and it makes my ecological conscience feel better. I may not have rain collecting containers in my back yard to water my vegetable garden with in the summer (ahem, Courtney), but baby steps.

Things My Brother Andrew Likes...

Because his birthday is two weeks from Monday and it has been requested as a blog topic.

• Webkinz: Beanie babies for this century, they are little stuffed animals that you get a code with and then you can play with them virtually online. You'll have to consult my parents as to which ones he already has, but he really likes them.
• Anything having to do with Nintendo (Mario, Luigi, Super Smash Bros, Toad, Yoshi; video games, movies, cards, stuffed animals).
• Anything having to do with Pokemon, yup it is making a comeback (video games, movies, cards, stuffed animals).
• This is where I mention he has a PSP, and a DS so those would be the types you get.
• He also likes WWE Wrestling.
• Most importantly, he would probably tell you, is that he loves Target and Gamestop gift cards.

So there you have it.

And the struggle with Lent continues!

I texted my friend Lisa (the vegan) today, excited about today's lunch plans. We had been planning on going to Redmill (a burger joint that happens to serve delicious shakes and onion rings, and oh by the way, also happens to cook pounds of bacon at a time in a huge brick formation) for a week or two now, and today was the day we could finally make it work. Debating over which bacon creation I was going to get to go with my big flaky onion rings and mint chocolate milkshake, I came to a shocking realization, at the very same moment that Lisa texted me, Wait, can you even eat meat today?

I love being a Catholic (most of the time), don't get me wrong. But this whole no meat on Friday thing kills me every year. I don't know how Catholics followed this rule every Friday, pre-Vatican II. Every Friday becomes a challenge and meals have to be thought of way in advance, and strategically orchestrated from among the few option I can eat that don't contain meat.

I deliberated with Lisa, who does not eat meat any day of the year, and she suggested bahn mi. Bahn mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that is in french bread, with a meat option, and then carrots, cucumber, and a sweet sauce. There are other things that are usually in it that I generally pick out,

Walking down to the front desk where I used to work, Michael suggested we go to this place on Pine and Bellevue. Boy am I glad we did.

We decided to be adventurous and ordered a fresh spring roll appetizer, hers with tofu and mine with shrimp (thank the good Lord himself for considering seafood not meat). It was only $1.95, and was so handmade it was still lumpy. Regardless it was delicious and had just the perfect amount of noodles and lettuce, and the peanut sauce was some of the best I ever had.

We moved onto our bahn mi, both tofu (no meat), and I was surprisingly delighted. The bread was the best, crusty and warm. The sauce was sweet, and the tofu was cooked in a way that even I can tolerate. The carrots could have been a little fresher, but the cucumbers were nice and crunchy. All for $3.95!

With my drink that was less than a dollar and tax, I walked away with a lunch that was less than $7, and totally was worth my money. I am glad we made the decision to go there.

And don't you fret. Redmill is certainly going to be in the works for next week.

Just When I Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse...

Not your dad has gotten a Twitter. He is really trying to keep up with the times. His twitter, in case you were wondering, is www.twitter.com/notyourdad (clever huh?). Oh, and in case you have not yet visited mine, it is www.twitter.com/grabmynotebook.
I would be writing more, but it is an honest to God beautiful and sunny day outside, I am wearing a dress, and I am too restless to sit at a desk. Peace!

40 Days Annnndddd 40 Nights

I had a really difficult time coming up with something to give up for Lent. Especially since I didn't start thinking about it until today... I had to think back to all the things I had done and rule them out... "Well I drank soda so I can't give up that", "Guess I can't give up facebook or hummus or cheese or bread either".
Then I thought, what about if I do something for 40 days? Something positive?
This may sound narcissistic, but some of you may be thinking, "where the heck did this girl go?". So in a valiant effort to do something good during Lent, and to keep you all up to speed, I am going to blog every day during the 40 days of Lent. Granted, they will not all be novels like my normal blog entries, but fingers crossed there will be some sort of posting every day.
Until tomorrow!