Welcome To Resolutions

So it is the end of the year. I honestly do not have any thoughts on what to write this week. A lot of things have happened (mainly Christmas) and more things are still to come (see 2014 on calendars for details). I've been fairly lazy since Christmas. I think time off does that to a person. I have been enjoying it, been catching up on cooking.

I don't really have any New Years resolutions. I think my Christmas wish list sort of summed up what I want out of life. They aren't things to buy so much as things I want to work on / would like to magically fix themselves (except meeting Ellen).

This is the start of a new year and my six month mark for starting my new job. I still sometimes think of myself as the young college student ready to go to class, but not for the test. I should stop thinking like that though because I can never go back to that time. I have got to keep moving forward.

Wait! I've found it! My New Year's resolution is to keep moving forward. Kind of like the movie Meet The Robinson ( I know it wasn't one of Disney's best, but I have a soft spot for it), you can't always look back over your shoulder to the past. I have to keep thinking about the future. It is a scary place after all.

Next week I'll hopefully have something more interesting to write about. After all the new year hasn't started yet.

If you liked this post (or it completely pissed you off) please leave a comment or share. Oh and Happy New Year!

Welcome To New Christmas Wishes

Sure Adults Can Have Them Too...

First I would like to thank the people who have left comments on my blog. I find them very helpful and I will (to the best of my ability) implement the advice you have given me. I always love getting advice even if it confuses me. It helps me make decisions. I think that is my first Christmas wish this year.

Christmas Wish Number 1: To continue to get as much advice as possible. Some people might think that this is a bad idea and that a lot of people will give contradicting advice. While it is possible to get a lot of contradicting advice, this can also be helpful in obtaining different points of view and understanding other people’s logic. Yesterday I went to my leasing office to get more information on my contract. My significant other and I ended up having a cool conversation with one of the people working there about street smarts in the work force. He directed me to several books. I will let you know what my latest research finds. 

My second Christmas wish sort of stems from the first one, I love learning new things and applying them to my everyday life. 

Christmas Wish Number 2: To grow as a person. Hey I still feel and, occasionally, act like a kid. I need to mature and grow as a person. So my second wish is to keep growing. I hope I never fully grow up, but I do want to be mature enough to be perceived as an adult. 

I have found adult life stressful (more stressful than high school and college combined). The blog does help with my angst, but I do not think I will ever grow out of worrying about everything. So…

Christmas Wish Number 3: Worry less, prepare more. I might never grow out of my worry wart phase, but I can prepare more. Having a check list helps. I think I’ll post one on the fridge and one on my front door. Also never leave home without a hat. One never knows when they might need something to cover your head.

I write a lot now. It’s a great stress relief. I have even started a few fiction works (not to be confused with my fan fiction). 

Christmas Wish Number 4: Finish a novel. I would like to complete a full length novel by this time next year. It does not have to be the final draft, but it would be nice to have a full story written down. 

So far my Christmas Wish List has been pretty self centered and you know what sometimes you need to be a little selfish. You can’t be selfish all the time, but you should have goals and things you want for yourself. It gives you something to strive for know what to keep and change about yourself. However my final Christmas Wish is to meet someone who is incredibly selfless. 

Christmas Wish Number 5: Meet Ellen. Ellen does so many wonderful things and knows how to make people smile. I think she is a great role model. I would love to meet her, shake her hand and maybe help her play a prank on unsuspecting people. However I would be perfectly happy enough to get a hug from her.

So those are five of my Christmas wishes. I have a few more wishes (lower cable bill would be nice), but those are not as important. What is important is living life to the fullest and I think these wishes will help me accomplish that. One day I hope to be someone that people can ask anything of and I’ll be able to give them an answer I feel is correct (or point them to someone who can). Until that day I’ll be here navigating Wonderland and letting everyone know how I do. Merry Christmas everyone!

If you enjoyed this blog post (or it really pissed you off) please comment or share it with your friends, family or even worst enemies. I love hearing back from people and I hope someone is finding some useful advice. Have a great week.

Welcome To Christmas Cheer

No One Seems To Have It Anymore...

First I would like to say that the “Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug” was great and I highly recommend it. Second, I am watching Psych: The Musical and it is amazing. I think I might laugh my butt off. Please tune in as soon as possible. I wonder how often they will reshow this episode.

So it is ten days to Christmas. Yes Christmas, a holiday recognized by Christians as the birth of their savior and everyone else a huge financial head ache. I am (did I not mention this before) a Christian, though I do have my issues (cough Saint Paul cough cough). I have set up my Christmas tree with Harry Potter Legos (copyright Lego) surrounding the base. I have my advent wreath in the center of my dining room card table. I helped pick out the trees for my parents house. I saw the children’s Christmas Play at the church I grew up in today. I am definitely feeling the holiday spirit. 

A white Christmas is not on my list of desires this holiday season. I have already had two snow falls this December. I did not enjoy either. One encased my cute little car in two inches worth of ice. It took me twenty minutes to dig it out and defrost it. I was unhappy and almost late to work. Therefore snow should only fall on the weekends and melt by Monday morning. I command it and therefore it must be so (I wish that was how it worked). 

Other than discovering that snow is evil during the work week (as well as loosing email access while working from home, but that is another story) I discovered that people actually believe that Santa and Jesus were both “white”. If anyone saw John Stewart (one of my idols) you would have seen his piece on Fox News talking about why Santa and Jesus were “factually” white. I literally burst out laughing. Factually Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jew. Unless the Middle East suddenly moved geologic locations and have a very demographic than I learned in Model United Nations then he was definitely not white. Also Santa, or Saint Nicholas if we have to be specific, was from Turkey, not Greece (okay technically it was Greek occupied Turkey, but in modern times it is Turkey). I have officially lost all respect for anyone who has not realized this (mostly Jesus, I can kind of understand the ignorance around Santa due to media stereotypes).  

I shouldn’t rant. I really shouldn’t, but it is sometimes so hard not to. I could probably rant an entire one person play about how bad Maryland driving is and how to correct it. 

Christmas time used to be so magical for me. All the music, the lights and the happy memories were great. I loved it. Now I’m actually kind of sick of it. They play all of the same songs over and over again on the radio. People are going out of their way to make our society dumber (or point out the idiocy in our society). I am just not feeling it anymore. Maybe I will start feeling the spirit again once it gets a little closer to the “Big Day”. 

Happy Holidays everyone and yes it is Holidays. I believe New Years, The Winter Solstice and Kwanzaa all qualify as Holidays at this time of year along with Christmas. I celebrate at least two of those listed on top of Christmas. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please leave a comment or share it with your friends, family and / or enemies. I am going back to the musical Psych. Until next week.

Welcome To Winter

It's Not The Wonderland It Used To Be...

Today was the first time it snowed since I moved out and no long am a student. It was not as exciting as it used to be. When I was a little kid snow meant a day off from school and fun in the snow. I might build a snow fort out of the piles of snow made by the snow plows in my court or start a snow ball fight with my friends. In high school I had a day off to do more studying and get a head start on projects. In college, snow meant beautiful pictures, lazy days sleeping in and a higher chance of breaking something on the brick paths.

Snow now means checking to see if the roads are safe enough for me to get to work on. If they are I have to brave the highways with crazy Maryland drivers (I have finally realized the reason they are such bad drivers is because they have zero clue how to merge). If the roads aren’t safe enough to drive on (read been clear of ice), I get to work from home. This wouldn’t be so bad except I might end up with a huge cell phone bill from overages and I only have one screen instead of two to work on. I am not sure which idea is worse.

I actually can drive in the snow. I proved that today coming home from church. The first time I drove on the highway was in a blizzard driving from Michigan to Ohio. I distinctly recall my mother telling me to not be a baby and drive like I normally would. Since I had never driven on a highway I decided to get behind a truck and hope for the best. It was a wise decision because soon after I started out on the highway we hit white out conditions and they only thing keeping me in a straight line were the truck’s tail lights. I was finally able to give the driver’s seat back to my mother in Pennsylvania. It had been a very stressful two hours, but I learned how to drive in a blizzard.

Honestly the way people are acting you would think we had been hit with three feet of the white powder and all power had been knocked out. It thankfully hasn’t, but we live on the East Coast. We are far more likely to have a power outage because of a thunderstorm and that doesn’t seem to be a huge deal. Okay yes it would be really cold if we lost power because of snow, but that’s why you have plenty of blankets and jackets ready. I even made sure to have a few pairs of socks ready just for going outside.

Alright so maybe I’m making a horrible disaster waiting to happen sound trivial, but I have been in Michigan and Ohio in blizzard conditions. Parts of Texas and lower Midwest losing power do worry me a bit, but I checked the weather reports and it didn’t look like it would be that bad here. Heck one Christmas I had to shovel my Aunt’s driveway before opening presents while it was still snowing. I was unhappy, but we did get to go to my grandmother’s house.

So yes I am grateful that nothing too terrible happened during my first snow fall. I’m waiting to see what tomorrow looks like before I try going into work. I might just have to email my boss and say, well there’s ice everywhere I think I’m going to work from home, but that’s tomorrow. Winter might never be what it was when I was a child (let alone student). It won’t be magical and a break from the crazy school work, but I can still enjoy its beauty. Right now I’m going to curl up with some hot chocolate and Skype the Significant Other.

If you enjoyed this post (or made you laugh, smile or go on a ranting rampage of anger) please post a comment or share my blog’s link. Who knows I might actually meet Ellen someday.

Welcome To The Holidays

They might just kill you...

So Thanksgiving has passed. I spent it with the family. We had a ton of food and I watched the parade. I always watch it with my Snoopy doll (we also watch the Charlie Brown special together). It was exciting to see the Lions beat Green Bay (first time in nine years). I guess you could say that Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season, but then you have to remember all the holiday stuff that was out in retail in October. 

Black Friday wasn't that interesting. I remember when the stores opened at 4am and the rush to get in. Now there's hardly any point. Sure sales are there and I'll shop, but now it's just ridiculous that stores want to start Black Friday on Thursday. For one thing Friday is in the name. It also really cuts into family time, unless your idea of family time is seeing how many other Black Friday shoppers you can take out as a unit (ten points for taking out grandma). 

However, despite my distaste for the Black Friday hype, I realized how many people work on the sacred day of feasting on Turkey. I had to drop my significant other off at the train station on Thanksgiving and as soon as he jumped out of my car five minutes before departure, I realized that there were people running the transportation system to make sure everyone got home to stuff themselves silly. I thought to myself, is this a free ride home for them or are they working because they have to ( or have nothing better to do)? Several super markets were also open until the mid-afternoon. Was this also necessary. Couldn't people have remembered everything they needed the day before? Heck, my sister ran to one store twice before the dinner was in the oven.

Let also not forget about the people who work at the football games. It's freezing and they could be hearing a nice hot dinner by a crackling fire and they're out there making TV magic for the football fans. 

I am starting to think that it is a little hypocritical that people complain about workers not getting time off from major retailers for Black Friday, yet it is okay for people to catch a plain or train and watch a football game on an"American Holiday set aside for family." I think we also forget about the troops who can't be home or the news reporters letting us know what is happening in the world (or just how to cook a turkey). They also have to work on this holiday. I am not saying it is right what stores are doing, but all the hype on both sides (shoppers and angry ranters) sensationalizes the problem of greed in our country. 

I found it shocking to realize that there are a lot of people who work on Thanksgiving. It made me thankful to have a job that allowed me the time off to celebrate an odd American tradition that others find strange (I spent Thanksgiving in the UK once and they thought it was a celebration like the forth of July for us). In fact I'm thankful to have a job and a home to call my own. I am thankful to have friends and a wonderful significant other. Heck most of the time I'm thankful to just be alive and thinking and totally free to do as I please. 

I hope other people are thankful too. No matter what the future holds I am thankful for today and the day before. Now to see what the future holds.

If you enjoyed this post (or if it really pissed you off) please comment and share (either on the blog or on Facebook). Maybe I can make someone smile for a moment to two.

Welcome To The Hand Wash

Well both of my laptops have decided to have problems. I forgot one's cord at work and the other I don't even want to discuss. Go me and electronic problems...again. Hopefully I actually did leave the laptop cord at work or I am in big trouble. Anyway this week's lecture - I mean blog post - is on laundry. Honestly I have been thinking about this one for a while.

My apartment complex technically has laundry rooms. This is very much a technicality. There are only two washers and dryers in a room every three buildings. This isn't too bad, except that the hours posted mean that I can only do my laundry early on the weekends. This is why I typically do my laundry at my parents house (my dad has been talking about adding a quarter machine for me to pay them with). I usually choose to do it at my parents house because a) it's free and b) mom wants me to visit more often.

The laundry machines at the apartment aren't awful, but they are also not as nice as the ones at my parent's house. They are exactly like the ones from my alma mata, except more expensive. They also break down about as often as the ones at school did. They are not terrible and I can live with them, but they also cost money and are not the most gentle on really nice clothes. This is why I have taken to hand washing some of my clothes. Thursday is hand washing day.

Hand washing clothes is a great way to get nice clothes clean without worrying about ruining them. It is also easier to get rid of certain stains (e.g. blood, sweat, oil...etc). Hand washing also has the benefit of giving your arms a great workout. Here are some of the things I have learned to do while hand washing:

1) Always wash your clothes in a clean sink or bathtub. You won't get other stains in your clothes if you so this step first.

2) Hydrgen peroxide, white vinegar and baking soda are the best for getting rid of stains. Hydrogen peroxide is great for getting blood out of anything. You just have to be careful with colors. All three of these home products can cause fading in colored clothing. However they are also really good at keeping white clothes white.

3) Woolite or other gentle detergent is better for hand washing than other brands. It keeps clothes from getting too uncomfortable.

4) I almost always hand wash my clothes in cold water.

5) I always thoroughly wash and moisterize my hands after washing my clothes. My hands get really dry, so it is important to put lotion on them.

If you start washing your clothes ( to save money or protect your clothes) always talk to someone who has prior knowledge of doing so before you start. You could accidentally end up ruining your favorite silk shirt. Also the internet is also a very good resource. I found a lot of information on getting rid of some of the worst stains from online help guides. I hope this helps.

Welcome to Remembrance

If you read my post two weeks ago, you would know that my grandfather died on Halloween. Yesterday was the funeral. It was beautiful. The weather was gorgeous and we did not have any problems for the internment. The flowers were in full bloom for fall and there wasn’t a bunny rabbit in sight. Dad even added a cigar butt for grandfather. He said he wasn’t going to waste a full one on him. 

The service was more about remembering my grandfather’s life rather than the fact that he had died. He had done so many things and touched so many lives. I loved the story about how my dad and grandfather had wanted to go to the World’s Fair in New York and my grandfather said no they were going to travel around the world for a year. My dad and uncle were not thrilled and insisted they would rather go to the World’s Fair. 

My grandfather was a very blunt and straight forward man, but he also had a great sense of humor. He was a teacher and a minister. He was a mentor and friend. I wish I had asked him for more stories about what he had done throughout his life. I know he was never impressed with the city of Paris. He met the Dalai Lama and worked with the United Nations. He always burnt the coffee and drank it black. He knew how to get things done and never shied away from hard work. 

My family all came to Lancaster for the funeral. It was the first time I had seen a lot of them since my oldest cousin had gotten married. I stood in the reception line between two of my cousins (one girl and one a boy). A number of people seemed to think that my male cousin was either my brother (plausible) or my husband (ummm what?). First of all he looks a lot older than me. Second we look enough a like that it should be obvious we’re related, but it was okay. I had a good laugh about it.

I think my favorite part of the day was hearing about how my other male cousin was introducing himself. He was “Daniel son of Alan son of Alfred of the strong men of Catasauqua and protectors of mayonnaise.” I don’t know why we’re the protectors of mayonnaise, but it seems to fit in with the food we had. 

I am glad that I got to hear about my grandfather and see all of the people who came to the funeral. My father was very insistent that we greet everyone. I am glad he was. I got to ring the church bell with my baby cousin and pretend I was seven years old again. All of us grandchildren visited the old house and saw that the university that had brought it had turned it into an office for the language department. We even recreated a picture we had taken after a party that had taken place before my sister had even been born. There were a lot of memories and stories shared. 

When I got home and looked on my fridge and saw the wedding “Save the Date” card a friend from college had sent me. It reminded me that even though my grandfather had died, life was still going to continue on.  Grandfather was likely watching over me (in his own way) and just waiting for the next randomly hilarious thing to happen. However he will likely start watching my back after he gets through Saint Peter’s books. He never could resist making sure the books were clean.

Welcome To Your Identity

 It's Never What You Think...

I was thinking about writing about my war on UPS this week, but then bunch of odd coincidences happened that have caused this post to steer in a completely different direction. I don’t know if anyone else who is a recent graduate is going through this, but I am finding the more people I talk to, the more they also feel uncertain about their future. I am not just talking about losing a job or going through a tough time. I mean that there is a whole future ahead of them and they have no idea what to do with it. 

I have come to the conclusion that I have no idea who I am and who I want to be. I know who I was in college and high school. Heck I may have had a small identity crisis when I was seven (I somehow never realized until then what gender I actually was). From that small stepping stone I was able to shape who I was up until middle school. When high school started I decided that I didn’t care anymore what people thought about me. I tried to keep my head down and concentrate on my studies (anyone heard of the IB program?).  I did manage to make a small name for myself senior year by becoming the head of the Model United Nations Club. It was stressful and fun. 

My college identity was fairly similar to my high school one. I was somewhat unconcerned with my (nonexistent) reputation and I wanted to focus on my studies. I did have to get my ego deflated a little bit, but I tried to just enjoy my time and not flunk out. College was great for self exploration and sometimes I wish I had done more. Now I’m just not sure what I want or who I want to be. 

Alright I sometimes imagine myself as future queen of the world, but it’s just a fantasy. I don’t think I would like the lime light. I over analyze myself way too much; I don’t need the media to add to it. 

At the moment I would describe my mental state as standing at a crossroads on a foggy night without a flashlight (though I'm not there to make a deal with a devil). I know where I am and where I came from, but I have no idea which direction I should take or where it might lead. I would also compare myself to Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I find I take myself way too seriously and nothing seems to go the way I plan. Luckily I also have a great group of people who have my back. 

I hope to eventually get my bearings and blaze a trail for my life. I just don’t want to wake up one day and realize that life has totally passed me by. At the same time I don’t want everything planned out so that I never have anything spontaneous happen. I need a balance of both. As my uncle said, "sometimes I wish I was five years old again and could get on my bike and just ride without a care in the world."

I think all of these introspective posts are happening because a lot of things have been going on. I've started meditating and it is helping me calm down and clear my mind. Thank you all for reading. I hope this helps someone other than myself.