Welcome To A New Year

I know I'm a day late on posting again...oops. I think I can be forgiven for forgetting which day of the week it is since it's the Holidays here.

As we draw to the end of 2014, I realize that time has really flown this year. Though it's not the New Year yet, I wanted to take some time to reflect. A lot of things happen in a year, especially the ones that fly by. It's funny how that happens.

I did a lot of traveling to Hawaii, Disney World, and San Diego and a few smaller side trips for work. I wouldn't say any of those trips were my favorite because they were all a lot of fun and I got to do a lot of things. (It's a rare thing to say I went to both Disney World and Disneyland in the same year).

I feel I worked hard at my job and that I'm learning a lot. I hope to continue to learn and improve.

I finally started making new friends. I joined an anime club at the local library (libraries are seriously the best place to go) and played softball throughout the summer with the church I started going to). I found that making new friends outside of a school setting is a lot harder than most people would think. I'm glad I did.

My biggest (or at least the one I'm most proud of and might have mentioned one or twice...about a million times)  accomplishment was finishing the first draft of a novel. I'm hoping to start the rewrite in January. Maybe I'll start sending it to agents this year.

Though my post might have gotten away from the original purpose (giving advice on how to survive the college to real world transition to what have I managed to do this time and not set myself on fire), I have managed to keep up with posting once a week. Maybe I have inspired others to write weekly as well (or not, let's not inflate my own ego there)? Still, I find it amazing I've lasted this long. Feel free to give suggestions on what you guys would like to hear about.

Now what about next year?

I don't know. The future is such a mystery. I try to make plans, but somehow or other they always end up changed along the way. I'd love to keep traveling and going on adventures. I hope to do more things with my friends (new and old). Maybe I'll start rock climbing this year. I have a comic I've been working on, perhaps I'll post it online (under my internet name of course).

As for my resolution for the new year? I'll put my self down for getting to that 2nd and possibly that 3rd draft to start sending out. I might even start another novel in between (here's to doing and not hoping).

Once again I leave you guys with an image of my loyal Christmas tree since I don't have to take it down until the 6th of January.

Here's wishing you guys a Happy New Year. Can't wait to see you then!

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and hope someone out there is learning from my random (and occasionally brilliant or really silly) delisions. Until the next year.

Welcome To The Holiday Feast

Food!

It's the season for me to write about Christmas (since I don't hide the fact that I'm a Christian).So what goes hand and hand with Christmas? Why Christmas food of course!

I enjoy cooking and baking. I find it relaxing after work. Though not everything I make for the first time turns out okay (last night was a fabulous example that when I failed at a Hungarian Chicken recepe). I have also managed to set myself on fire (it was actually an oven mit and I was okay). But all that doesn't matter because it's the holidays and everything will turn out in the end (or my family will lie to me through their teeth one of the two).

Now there are tons of different traditions for this time of year. Food is one of many. For as many Christmas eves as I can remember, I've always had my Great Aunt's Meatballs and Shrimp Scampi (yeah I know they don't sound like they belong together). Christmas was reserved for steak and occasionally ham. One of my friends' family has apples and pancakes on Christmas Eve (that was yummy). 

See very different.

Though I don't eat sweets often, I'm often amused by the sheer amount of cookies that are baked this time of year. From my mom's chocolate peppermint cookies, her lemon bars, or festive sugar cookies, there are always plenty of cookies to go around (and at least one of each kind for Santa). 

My mom also makes gingerbread at this time of year. I know most people think of gingerbread as a cookie, but she makes an actual bread. It's best right when it comes out of the oven and the butter melts as soon as you spread it on a slice.

There are so many different baked goods. I want them all.

I have a lot of found memories in kitchens (usually I am being chased out by my sister after I stole something yummy). The tastes, the smells, all of them just scream 'It's Christmas time!'. 

So I hope you guys get the opportunity for some holiday cheer along with cookies and hot chocolate. Make sure the Grinch doesn't steal your rare who roast beef and the last can of who hash. I'm going to make dinner now. 

If you enjoyed this post please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and hope you enjoy reading about my misadventures once a week.

Until next week.

Welcome To Cosmic Wonder & Broken TVs

Universe, you and I need to have a little talk. Now I get that the end of the year is coming up and you might have a quota on messing with the lives of certain people, but did you have to cause my (roughly) 15 year old analog TV to drop dead? Don't you understand that I don't need any more stress (or for that matter expenses) right now?

You don't care?

Go figure.

Yeah, that's right my TV died. It was a real battle of wits for a while between me keeping it on and it turning off by itself. It made me realize how grateful I was to even be given a (really old, but loving) TV when I moved in to my first apartment.

In fact this whole time of year tends to make me feel a bit more grateful for everything. I have a roof over my head, a loving (but somewhat insane) family, friends who I can count on, food on the table and a job. I don't actually need the TV.
This weekend, my dad, sister and I headed to Williamsburg for Christmas Town at Buschgardens. It was beautiful. Everything was decked out in lights. I especially loved taking the train around the park.

My sister instead that we see Santa, which we of course did. No I won't tell everyone what I asked for, but it was wonderful to see him. It certainly made me feel like a little kid again. It was my favorite part of the trip.

There were a ton of little kids in line with us to meet Santa. Some of them would write letters and put them in a mail box for later. Though one tiny girl did start crying when she was put on Santa's lap (it was a little funny).

Now you might be wondering if I still believe in Santa. I do. My family has always believed in the jolly elf and spoken of him as a real being. Therefore I believe he's real.

So even though I was all worked up about my TV breaking, seeing Santa again made me remember that that wasn't what was important. Spending time with my family and having a great time was.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and hope you enjoy hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome To Christmas Shopping

NOOOOOOOOOO!

I love Christmas (not as much as I love Halloween, but that's not important). It's the end of the year. You get to spend time with family and friends. There are the TV specials and the Christmas music that are wonderfully nostalgic (good and bad). Thought it's cliche, it is a magical time of year.

Unless you're not Christian in which case it can be the most annoying time of year (seriously "Christmas Shoes" gets old ten seconds into the song).

I have put up my small and very fake Christmas tree and included a cute little Christmas Village this year (I really didn't want to drag out my Harry Potter Lego collection).

However, if there was one thing I had to complain about (and no not my relatives asking me if I've found a nice significant other), it's the shopping. If I were a smarter person (or a better planner), I would have learned by now to do Christmas shopping throughout the year. As it stands, I don't really think about until last minute.

I don't even know why it causes such a huge anxiety for me. I guess part of it might be that I'm trying to find the "perfect" gift for that one person. It could be perhaps I suffer from sticker shock. But I think the most likely reason of all, might be that I just hate shopping.

I've been going through malls, shops, and websites. There are so many "specials" and coupons, not to mention all the "buy now or you'll miss out" deals. I'm bombarded with ads. It goes back to "Miracle on 34th Street" (the original in black and white) and how over commercial everything is. It almost makes me want to steal Christmas.

Not only that, but it's finding that gift that the other person hasn't thought to get for themselves.

Of course I could make all of my own gifts, no one would get themselves something hand made. However that requires a bit more forethought than a month and I've already admitted to not being a very good planner. Maybe I should get my own magic workshop. Oh wait...

Okay that was a lame joke.

I just want to show my family and friends how much I appreciate them. That's why I want to get them as close to the "perfect" gift as I can. To show them how much they mean to me. Even though it's bad, I'm probably going to still stress out until the New Year. And hopefully I'll start my shopping for next year the day after Christmas.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please like, comment, or share with friends, family or your worst enemy. I love hearing from my readers (which includes my international followers) and I'd like to thank all of you for continuing to read. Until next year.

Welcome To Thanksgiving

There's a lot to be thankful for...

I spent Thanksgiving this year with extended family in San Diego. It was awesome. There was plenty of food, lots of sun, and good times all around. I even got to go to Disneyland while everything was decorated for Christmas (only do this if you are okay being surrounded with more people than a Black Friday stampede) and go to my first NFL game (Chargers beat the Rams). All around a wonderful vacation with my uncle, aunt and cousins.

If there was only one thing that really stressed me out, it was getting on the planes. I was so sure I was going to get stuck somewhere over night, miss a flight or have a problem with security. Things everyone about to fly worry about. I am eternally thankful that I wasn't on the East Coast when the first snow fall of the year hit (this did not hurt my return flights). However, it looked like a lot of people had flights canceled or severely delayed due to the weather. I hope all of the people were able to get to where they wanted to go for the holiday.

There is already so much advice about traveling during the holidays that I won't go over too much about it. However, if you can, spring for first class (this was a first time for me). You get food and are garenteed to get your roller bag onto the plane if the flight is completely full. If you can't go first class (because flying is already way too expensive) see if you can get priority boarding. Flights were full and they were making people check their carry on bags.

I know, after that last paragraph I probably sound like a spoiled brat. However, it was a lot less stressful than my seven hour flight in the center row of a center row in the middle of the night back in May. And I am thankful I got to experience it once in my life. 

Actually I'm thankful for a lot of things this year. I'm thankful I have friends and family who helped me take some awesome vacations. I'm thankful I have a job and a place to live. I'm thankful I have food on the table everyday. I'm thankful for my large (and extremely crazy) family. I'm thankful for all of my friends.

Heck I have a lot to be thankful for.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, enjoyed the chaos of Black Friday, and stuffed themselves until Christmas. It's the start of the holiday season and I'm planning on making the most of it.

If you enjoyed this post please like, or leave a comment. I enjoy hearing from my readers and I hope you guys enjoy hearing from me. Maybe leave what you guys are thankful for in the comments. Until next week.

Welcome To Accomplishment

I did it!

New Year's Eve 2013 I made the goal that for 2014 I would complete the the writing for the first draft of a novel by the end of this year. This week I am pleased to announce that I accomplished this goal. I did it! I freakin' did it.

I spent over six months writing 63,000 (give or take a few hundred) words. I feel proud of myself.

However I can't just stop there. It's still only the first draft. I have to do one or two or maybe even a hundred rewrites before it's prefect. It won't be finished until it's in physical book form. Ergo, I might never be finished with writing it.

I believe it was Stephen King who said that you have to "kill your darlings" while writing the next few drafts. It's hard not to look at all my hard work with rose colored glass. However, that's what you got to do. You have to give yourself a critical eye. You have to identify your mistakes and be able to correct them.

You also can't get bogged down by all of the mistakes. It's sometimes also hard to stop yourself from saying everything sucks and ripping it all up.

I'm going to bask in finishing my first draft. At least until 2015. My new goal, rewrit it until I feel I can send it to an agent. 

And that's what I need to do. I need to keep setting goals that are challenging, push me just a little further and that I'm able to accomplish. It just takes a few more steps to get to that final (almost) unreachable goal.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you enjoy hearing from me. Until next week.

Welcome To Crystal Balls

The future is always cloudy...

I am aware of the fact that today is Monday, not Sunday. I completely forgot yesterday was Sunday yesterday. If I had realized I was going to forget it was Sunday, I would have written this on Saturday and timed it to go out today. One of the many whoes of not being psychic. 

It would make life easier if I could see into the future (or at least the bad stuff that could/might/is likely to happen) that way I could be prepared. I like being prepared, it makes me feel more secure and in control in a time I couldn't possible feel less secure or in control. Its like the universe wants me to loose my mind or something. 

Oh I can make plans and then completely forget the plans. That's when I make it up as I go.

Or I make plans and something else happens to change those plans. That's when I curse out any plan making I had done and swear to never make any plans again. 

Then there are the days that I don't have plans and a floating ball of annoying light tells me to go somewhere, I get completely lost on my way there, countinuously fall into a river until I realize I need a chicken to help me fly over the river, accidently hit the chicken with my sword and finally death by angry chicken (this last one might be from Zelda: Ocarina of Time).

True the chickens aren't called chickens in Zelda, but they look like chickens, they act like chickens, therefore they are chickens. Really annoying chickens.

Of course, if I did know what the future had in store all of life's little wonders would be spoiled. As much as I want to know everything will eventually be alright, I don't want any spoilers. Yeah this coming from someone who loves to know how everything ends before it even begins. Fine I admit that I'm incredibly impatient and have a burning desire for "Happily Ever After", but my gut tells me things will be okay. The little details are still a mystery.

I will plan to post next week, but no promises. They are way too easy to break.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share or comment. I enjoy hearing from my readers. Until next week.

Welcome To Kids Stuff

Otherwise known as Peter Pan Syndrome 

I have made it my life's mission to never grow up. Why you might ask. Because having the mindset of a kid is awesome. As a kid anything is possible. As an adult you realize your dream of being a wizard isn't exactly possible (unless you've learned a secret of the universe that the rest of us haven't discovered yet in which case I'm not talking to you). 

Yesterday I played laser tag in years. It was a huge amount of fun. I even managed to get second place both games (see proud image of score cards below).

It was a ton of fun and I want to go out an play again (sooner rather than later). There are even leagues for people my age to play competitively (no I'm unlikely to join any of those).

My parents constantly nag me about watching cartoons and reading comic books. Honestly if it's a good story why should it matter? Not everything made for kids is stupid. Some of it is very entertaining (and not mindlessly so).

I also still believe in Santa Claus (there I admit it!), even if deep down I know he's more of a spiritual being than an actual one. There's just something magical about the time between Halloween and Christmas. I always feel like I'm still 12 years old.

Reality of course sets in around January.

Oh, well, maybe I will become a superhero someday. A person can still dream, even if they can't go back in time. Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, like comment or share with friends, family or your worst enemy. Now it's almost time for the Futurama and Simpsons cross over.

Welcome To The Crazy Times

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween, All Saint's Day, All Souls Day and El Dia de los Muertos. I enjoyed watching old horror movies (and one funny horror movie). I managed to catch the original Dracula, House on Haunted Hill and the hilarious 1960s remake of The Old Dark House. We had exactly three Trick or Treaters and plenty of candy left over. It was also the one year anniversary of my grandfather's passing. May he rest in peace.

I haven't had down time in a while. It feels like at every turn I'm doing something. Even things at work have been hectic. These are the times when if even one things goes wrong it feels like the whole world is ending (something I also managed to do this week).

How do I handle the crazy?

Usually I spend an entire weekend hibernating from the world. Well the weekend I had set aside for that unexpectedly changed (though not for the bad) into a fun weekend with a friend and my mom. Seeing my friend was awesome and we had a great time catching up.

This weekend I was all over Norther Virginia and DC. One of my friends was in the Color Run in DC yesterday. I honestly had no idea what to expect. I actually didn't run, but I did get to see the party afterwards. They threw these color packets into the air and got different colors everywhere. Here's a picture:

I did need to rinse off my cloths to get some of the additional colors off.

I spent most today in Winchester with my mom. We took a back road and saw all the beautiful leaves in the mountains. I miss the years we used to do Skyline Drive or go up to Gettysburg around this time. I love the drive when I'm a passenger, not when I have to drive. I can sit and stare out the window and day dream. It's wonderful.

If you enjoyed this post, or if really pissed you off, please like, share, and/or leave a message. I love hearing from my readers. Until next week!

Welcome to the Halloween Special

It's the Spookiest Time of the Year...

It's almost Halloween everyone and you guys know what that means: scary movies galore! I've seen many of the old black and white movies I love (with the exception of Abbott and Costello) and a lot of the more modern ones. We can of course than ABC Family for all the kids movies, AMC and Spike for blood guts and gore and TCM for all of the classics.

The groups I follow online (you guys are very familiar with my obsession with  love of Nostalgia Critic) have also had holiday specials all October long. Plenty of zombies, vampires, and possessed trucks (wait possessed trucks?) too keep me entertained.

I do confess, I've been in front of the TV all day watching every Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror ever made. It hasn't been the productive Sunday I had hoped it would have been.

However I have noticed that there are several Halloween specials that I haven't seen. The majority of them were from the Disney Channel original movies collection. At least Halloweentown and Hocus Pocus is still shown every year, but what about Don't Look Under the Bed or Tower of Terror. I at least hoped that they would show Phantom of the Megaplex since Mickey Rooney died this year.

So here are the top five movies/specials I wish I could get, but can't.

1) Phantom of the Megaplex - a great little mystery loosely based off of Phantom of the Opera. Someoen is trying to ruin the premier of a horror movie at a local movie complex. Can three kids solve the mystery or will the phantom succeed? Mickey Rooney plays an older gentleman whose family used to own the theater, but has since moved into the basement.

2) Don't Look Under the Bed - What happens to an imaginary friend when a child stops believing too soon? They become the boogyman who lives under the bed. This movie was a great story about having an imagination and not growing up too fast.

3) The Scream Team - The grandfather of two kids passes away just before Halloween. The Scream Team (three banished ghosts who guide the souls of the dead to the next life) try to help him, but the grandfather is kidnapped by an angry spirit hell bent on getting his revenge. It's up to the two kids and three ghosts to rescue the trapped souls and solve the mystery of the angry spirit.

4) Tiny Toon: Night Ghoulery - If you don't know who the Tiny Toons are you didn't grow up in the 90s. Babs and Buster Bunny (no relation) take you through several mini episodes, each with it's own introduction. They are set up like a Treehouse of Horror episode and got a lot of laughs out of me.

5) Scooby Doo on Zombie Island - (I'm slightly cheating as it can be brought on Amazon) Scooby and the gang and invited to Zombie Island which is cursed by the spirits who wander the island. It seems like a normal mystery for the gang, until its relieved that the zombies aren't guys in masks.

I hope you guys have a happy Halloween on Friday. I'll be hiding under a blanket trying to defeat the zombies of Resident Evil.

Anyway here's a picture of a cute pumpkin my mom gave me.

If you enjoyed this post (or you really hated it) please like, share or leave a comment. If there was special that you remember seeing that I didn't include let me know in the comments. I love hearing from my readers and hope you enjoy my posts. Until next week.

Welcome To The Game Plan

Ha ha what game plan?

I have come to the realization that I have absolutely know idea what my long term goals are. This is a first for me. I have always had a plan and if the first plan didn't work out, I had a backup plan. Though I still make plans, they are mostly short term. This is a first.

I knew which college I wanted to attend at 9 years old. Yep 9. I think my parent's theory was to get me interested early so I had something to work towards. I then spend the next 9 years working my tail off getting in to said college. I was strategic. I did my research. I knew which programs in middle and high school to attend, the classes I needed to take and the grades I needed every step of the way.

I ended up burnt out by my sophomore year of college (I really don't recommend taking three math based classes and a language in one semester), but I did it. I acheived my goal.

My next step was to graduate college, find a job and move out. I am still occasionally amazed that I pulled all there of those goals off.

Honestly, I think the only reason I met those goals is because I wanted them badly. So badly I planned my very existence around it. There weren't any built in short cuts, no room to deviate from the paths I wanted to trek. I wanted it and I was going to work as hard as I could to earn it.

Now I don't know what I want.

Well, that's only partially true. I have a list of things that would be nice to have and would like to do. I am writing a novel and planning out several others (nearly at 50,000 words for the first one). I have yearly goals with my job and I am hopefully advancing in my career.

I just don't know what my next step in my life is. Do I want to get my Masters? If I do, then in what subject? Do I want to get married and have a family? Do I want to become a hobo and travel the world?

I don't know.

I know I like my place. I like my friends. I like my job. I guess that's what it means to be an adult: being confident to make decisions without having any idea where it might lead you. Not knowing what to do it normal and allows for some interesting things to happen. I'm just not sure where to go next because if I've learned anything, it's that nothing is permanent.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share of comment. I love hearing from my readers and hope you guys are getting something out of these posts. Until next week.

Welcome to the Alternative Route

I had a very action packed weekend, so this entry will likely be on the short side. I love going down to Williamsburge VA (I have mentioned it in several posts). The normal route to Williamsburge requires you to take three different highways, one of them two lanes. If there are any accidents on the two lane highway, you get to sit there...forever.

The way around this problem, backroads. There are a few alternative routes you can take and all can be kind of creepy at night. One of theme doesn't have any street lights whatsoever and you go through the tidewater farm country. Heck a little over a month ago my mom had us take all back routes through Richmond and then to Fredericksburg. We got hopelessly lost a few times, but had a great time sightseeing.

The worst though, is going through the woods at night in Northern Virginia. Not only are there lots of people (who don't know how to turn off their brights), there are a lot of winding roads with little to no stret lights with plenty of places for deer to jump out at you. Ah, yes deer, the enemy of all motorists (insert joke about roadkill dinner here).

Its not fun and there should be more areas for predators to keep the populations low. Alas, lots of people and fewer hunters equals explosive deer population. It's an aweful combination. I knew a girl whose car was hit by a deer. She was in the hospital for a while. It was pretty scary.

Taking backroads is usually fun. Especially with the leaves changing in the fall. I just don't like taking them at night with little to no lights. You never know what might pop out onto the road.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please leave a comment, like or share. I love hearing from my readers and hope you guys enjoy these as much as possible. Until next week.

Welcome To Unwinding With Video Games

So I am upset because I lost something that I really did not want to loose. Lesson, don't put things in your pockets if you aren't going from point A to point B. I'm just glad that it's nothing super important. I am upset because I really liked it. How do I overcome this feeling? Beating the living hell out of my opponents on Super Smash Brothers Melee.

It really does help. So does playing almost any game where I can just button mash. Any incarnation of Mario Cart is also good.

I am maybe a light to moderate gamer. I have a few systems and am debating about which one to invest in (it pretty much all hinges on Fatal Frame 5 coming to the US). I tend to spend a few hours every week playing something or other.

Unfortunately some of my favorite games have been played with so much they no loner work. Sad but true. Also it feels like gaming systems aren't built to last. The older consoles continue to chug away just fine, but the newer models all seem to have something or other that causes it problems. Heck I'm still able to get some good mileage out of my Gameboy color.

I'm also into watching Let's Plays (if you don't know what a Let's Play is, it's when you watch another person play a game and see their reactions). I personally like watching survival horror Let's Plays, as I'm not very good at those games and love the stories/atmosphere.

 So because I have an opinion, here are my favorite games (by system):

Gameboy Color: Pokemon (any version) - and it still works after all these years! Also serieously how does ditto plus any other Pokemon equal baby Pokemon. Wouldn't Ditto be the same gender as the Pokemon it copied?

N64: Mario 64 - Though I've never owned an N64 (actually I never owned a lot of these game systems) I did spend a lot of time playing on my friend's. Mario 64 is hands down my favorite Mario. Giant slide anyone?

PlayStation: Silent Hill - I don't think I've ever been more terrified of a little girl. (Except for maybe in the game FEAR).

PS2: Fatal Frame 2 - From one of the scariest game series ever. Twin sisters in a haunted village with tons of angry spirits. Why did you buy this Nintendo? Why?

GameCube: Super Smash Brothers Melee - It was a tough call between this and Double Dash, but Melee has provided so many years of fun. (Double Dash will always be my favorite Mario Cart).

PC: American McGee's Alice - Beautiful art design and seriously messed up story. This game is a must for any who thought wonderland wasn't messed up enough the first time Alice went down the rabbit hole.

Wii: Epic Mickey - Another incredibly visual game. The use of the Wii remote to either paint or thin out areas of the map is a lot of fun. The story is also very interesting. I especially enjoy the in-between short levels with early 20th century cartoon themes.

 Just remember these are my opinion and if you disagree, well write about it in your own blog.

Hopefully things start to look up for me. Until then I'm going to destroy some stuff on Harry Potter Lego. I'll be here next week.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off please like, share and/or leave a comment. I like hearing back from my readers. Thank you again.

Welcome To Fall

It's The Best Season

It's officially the greatest season: Fall. It is the prettiest season. It is the most comfortable weather wise. Everything also seems to smell better in the fall. And don't forget the food, which is the most important.

Winter is way too cold, Spring is allergy hell and Summer is too hot. Ergo Fall wins. I especially love the flavors and decorations. I've seen some pretty cool Halloween decorations in stores (anyone for a wreath of skulls).

Since I've seen those lists on buzzfeed/facebook/insert social media here, I've wanted to do my own list. So here are my top 13 about fall. Why top 13, because I like prime numbers and have watched Nostalgia Critic.

1) Taking a walk - pretty simple and not too demanding. I like to leisurely take in the decorations and scenery. When I lived in Williamsburg, this was also the optimal time to go to the colonial area and get a mug of hot cider.

Speaking of hot apple cider...

2) Getting a mug of hot apple cider - I don't get it as often any more. Though I do still go out any buy the cold stuff and then heat it up. Hot apple cider is like having fall in a mug (pumpkin spice lattes are a close second).

3) Apples - Sure I can buy apples any time of year, but there's something special about fall apples. There always seems to be more variety of apples in the fall. Yumm.

But we can't forget about...

4) Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere - Fall is pumpkin season, no questions asked. I love my pumpkin spice latte as much as the next girl (though I love pumpkin flavored coffee way more). I also just finished making pumpkin spice bread.

5) Novelty coffee - Specifically Target brand fall novelty coffee (no I'm not being paid by Target to advertise). Last year they had a really cool flavor called candy-corn. I was almost too afraid to try it. It was my favorite, totally beat pumpkin pie flavor.

6) Creepy kids' movies - I'm currently listening to Coraline in the background while writing this. I recommend both seeing the movie and reading the book (one of my favorite reads). I don't know what it is about scaring little kids using movies, but it's a lot more fun now that I'm an adult. Any Tim Berton claymation movie or some nostalgic Disney Channel original movie (Halloweentown anyone?) are a must see at this time of year.

7) Scary Old Movies - I'm not a big fan of slasher films. I prefer the creepy atmostphere of the original 13 Ghosts, Haunted House on Haunted Hill (not the 90s version), and Night of the Living Dead to today's blood fest. Well I do enjoy some older blood fest. There is just something more compelling with the older films.

8) Long drives - I grew up near the Shenandoah. I don't think I need to explain any further.

9) Cheap gas prices - Yeah, this is the time of year gas prices start to fall. I think it's a combination of it being the off travel season and the need to get rid of summer supply before the fall. Whatever the reason, gas prices fall and I am happy.

10) Sweater / Jean Jacket weather - Whether it's being warm and fuzzy or fashionable, sweaters and jean jackets are great at this time of year.

11) Barbeque - Now most people think BBQ is a summer food. I would like to disagree. Barbeque is best during the crisper months. You can really savor that smoked flavor when the air is less heavy and you really crave something to warm you up.

12) Corn mazes - Want to go on a date and see how well you both do when hopelessly lost? Hoping to see some cute animals? Love farm fresh food? Corm mazes are the place to go. Usually on some farm (they're the ones who grow the corn so obviously you go to a farm AJ) somewhere, corn mazes often have other attractions along with the maze. A few you can even do at night. They are well worth the number of hours you spend looking for the exit.

And Finally....

13) Celebrating Halloween - Arguably the best holiday, Halloween allows for even the oldest adults to dress up and feel like a kid again. When else is it appropriate to dress up, scare a few friends, and party all night long (fine anime/comic conventions don't count in this case). Halloween is awesome. And don't forget to remember All Saint's Day the day after. Halloween is the day that the spirits of our dearly departed loved ones get to cross over and spend some ghoulish time with us.

And that's my top 13 favorite things about fall. Let me know what you guys think is the best thing about fall in either my facebook comment section or the blog posts. Until next week!

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, comment or share it with friends, family or your worst enemies. I'll keep blazing through Wonderland while you guys sit back and read as the adventure unfolds.

Welcome To Terror

Well it's almost Halloween...

This weekend I went to Buschgardens in Williamsburg. Yes Hallowscream has started, yes it technically won't be fall until tomorrow and yes, I don't really like haunted houses/mazes even though Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. However, seeing the decorations and shows (little sense they really make) is a lot of fun. I especially love the workers who really get into character to play up the experience. 

I like the stories and general idea of the terror. I just hate the in your face part of the experience. It's way too freaky. I prefer to watch at a distance.

This time of year is also when some of the movies and TV specials start. I especially love the older Disney Channel movies (Phantom of the Megaplex or Don't Look Under the Bed anyone?). I also love watching survival horror Let's Plays on YouTube. EricvanWilderman is probably my favorite because he has a good sense of humor, but there are others out there. 

I actually managed to find a copy of the original Resident Evil for GameCube. Of course I've died twice so far on the first major bad guy. I think it's the controls. Yep, definatly going to blame the controls, not my aweful video game skills. 

Anyway, I hope everyone is ready for fall. The pumpkin flavored stuff is already on the market and I'm craving a latte. Also here's a Bronycon picture! Please enjoy before the scary pics show up.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed the post or it really pissed you off, please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my reader and my mind reading powers let me know you guys are there. Also trolls will be left to the boogeyman. Thanks again!

Welcome To Improvising

Proof Of Creativity At It's Finest

Today was sunny and beautiful. Yesterday was rainy. So of course my friends and I had a picnic yesterday. It makes sense. We're an adventurous bunch. I love late summer rain showers (this is a fact). And more importantly FOOD!

We had everything except a spatula. That's right, the rain wasn't what almost foiled our plans. It was a spatula. How did we get around this? By grabbing a durable stick, wrapping it in aluminum foil and creating our own spatula.

Everything else was delicious and eventually the sun did come out.

But it made me think. How often do I now improvise as an independent adult without the advantage of my parents around. My answer is a lot. Most of my cleaning supplies revolve around vinegar and baking soda (I've graduated to bleach, but that was under duress). Since I don't have my own washing machine I've learned to do a lot of hand wash (also therapeutic to punch the living daylights out of my cloths). I've also fixed an exploding toilet with duck tape (don't ask) before the maintenance guys showed up.

Ah duck tape, the go to item for fixing anything. Why isn't it in more video games? It should just come standard in the inventory.

I recall my days in scouts where the troop moms turned improvising into an art. Heck we once made rice in a plastic bag (at least I think it was a plastic bag and it tasted great too). I'm sure I'll get to that level eventually. Though I did use a bike pump to keep the tires in my first car filled (don't ask).

Now back to trailblazing Wonderland with a hair pin, 42 Lego bricks and duck tape. Hopefully I'll find something to help me upgrade to better items soon.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please leave a comment, like or share with friends, family, or your worst enemy. I do love hearing from  my readers (and yes I know you're there; Google tells me so). Until next week.

Welcome To The Balancing Act

It's harder than it looks...

Before I start, did anyone else catch Schoolhouse rock on ABC tonight. "I'm just a bill, yes I'm only a bill and I'm sitting here on Capital Hill." Anyway back to our regularly scheduled blog post.

Huh, looking at this picture, I realize I never quite seem able to get to that last one. Maybe I should have included a person running along the scale to show the actual effort to balance it (like the ones in Wii Fit or Mario Party [insert number here]) and keeping it steady. It's challenging and not always worth the effort (that's when people don't hear from me for weeks on end, send out search parties, the whole bruhaha when I'm actually hiding under a rock in my place).

My scale at it's simplest (see above) can be any number of combinations: work and home life, being social and not being social, exercise and laziness. Just take your pick, I do. I'm also under the impression that other people have these "scales" and try to balance them just as much as I do. There seem to be a lot of examples of this in the media and workforce promotions in college. They tend to use the phrase "work - life balance". They should add the word "act" to it.

There are a lot of things I want to do (and as I was watching the Schoolhouse Rock special a few hours ago), I'm reminded of all the things I could do as a kid. There wasn't as much responsibility, plenty of play time and nap time (though I hated nap time back then). My point is, being an adult drains the energy out of me. I miss the days I felt rejuvenated after school and could ride my bike for hours. Now I get home from work and am lucky to be motivated enough to make dinner. I primarily blame traffic.

One of my friends had a great status on Facebook after she started her job. I don't remember what exactly it was word for word, but, in summary, she was asking how it was possible for people to come home from work and make dinner or workout. All she wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch TV. My only response was motivation. I need lots and lots of motivation when I get home.

If I don't cook dinner, I don't get dinner.

If I don't do laundry, I have nothing to wear.

If I don't work out, I am grouchy (well grouchier).

I'll get there eventually. Then I'll tell all of my secrets to my readers. That's why I'm still mapping out Wonderland, so you don't have to!

Oh no, I'm watching too much Nostalgia Critic again. To the anime section!

If you enjoyed this post please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and getting feed back. If you have any questions don't hesitate to comment. Though trolls will be banished to live under bridges the rest of their lives (and not the picturesque Michigan lower peninsula). Until next week.

Welcome To Down Time

I didn't realize until yesterday just how busy I've been. Work has been crazy. Typically I have some energy when I get home from work, but lately I've come home and just crashed on my couch. I  still try to go to the pool when the weather is nice and get a quick swim in, but that's all I really do. Making dinner has even been a chore. I've also had pretty full weekends with Bronycon, my family reunion and visiting my parents (cough* doing laundry *cough) and a few friends.

On Friday I was very stressed out and tense. I also had nothing to distract me. It was not the best way to start out the weekend.

Then, yesterday I woke up and realized I didn't have any plans. Well I had had plans with my anime club, but they were canceled because of the rain. I spent the morning watching cartoon (seriously who didn't see that coming), until a humongous spider crept out on to my living room floor. If you didn't  see my Facebook post, I somehow got myself to kill the unfortunate guy. It was terrifying.

I was so traumatized I went on a huge cleaning spree, though if my sister walked in right now she'd complain about how messy my place is. I have a few places I still need to dist and disinfect, but overall I think my place is pretty nice looking. That will probably change tomorrow. It was kind of nice not having any plans. I divided half way through cleaning that I wanted Mac and Cheese, so I went out in the pouring rain to Noodles and Company and then the library for some more manga.

Today I went to church, which was nice. I went shopping for a few things I needed. Spent a ton of time by the pool. It was finally bright, sunny and warm (good bye polar vortex, hello fall). I also made chicken surprise soup. Cooking is a wonderful thing to do when you have free time.

The best part is I feel great. I'm not feeling anxious or stressed out anymore. I fell like I've accomplished something without doinig all that much. Heck I even brought the first Season of Duck Tails (I blame the Nostalgia Critic). I think I really needed to do well nothing. It allowed for me to recharge like I haven't in a while.

If you enjoyed this post, please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers. I hope you guys enjoy reading.

Also here's a random picture for Facebook.

Welcome To Technology

It's Everywhere...

Today my mother and I went to Best Buy to help her buy a new computer and printer. Though I'm not partial to the store, I will admit they have a better variety and knowledge than other stores. I prefer to go to smaller computer stores who have people who work on computers almost daily. However, I will admit that they can be very helpful the less tech-savvy. I am also not actually very tech-savvy, I just like reading up on the latest stuff that's coming out to know what's out there as a good investment

Anyway, mom and I started looking at the different laptops when one of the guys dressed in blue shirts came over. He was showing my mom around and she was asking a few questions. That's kind of when I started interrupting, like a lot.

In fact the the sales guys would occasionally just let me explain to my mom what to buy. My mom thought it was hilarious. I started going off about which processors are a better investment for what she is doing versus gaming and programing, etc. I also started talking to a few of the guys about different math classes I've taken and used in connection to working in different programing languages.

I was enjoying seeing the latest laptop models on the market. Almost everything I saw was touch screen technology. All of the models could double as a laptop and a tablet. On some level I kind of miss just having the standard laptop option. Yes, they're bigger and a lot heavier, but I feel like they have the processing power that I need. Then again, that might like someone who worked with computers in the 1960s looking at the computers they were selling in the 1990s and saying "don't you need a whole room of hardware to do that kind of processing?"

Clearly I'm still stuck in the early 2000s.

If I had my mom with me while writing this post, I'm sure she'd be looking over my shoulder telling me about how I missed all the funny conversations and more proof that I am in fact a NERD. It didn't help that we spent nearly two hours in Best Buy debating the merits of what kind of processing power she'll need for future events that are still up in the air.

I also really really want to upgrade my laptop now. And quire possibly take apart my very first laptop (not the one I currently use). I'm very curious to see it's parts up close.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and getting your opinions on my success and failures. This whole 'adult' life is way too stressful for what it's worth.

Welcome To The Reunion

We'll see you again next year...

First I would like to say Happy Shark Week! I honestly miss the years my family would go to the South Jersey shore the week after it aired.

Today was my grandfather's family reunion. This was unfortunately our first year since his passing back in October that we were all together. It was pretty small this year, not a lot of children. I think it was because so many of use have moved away. I have cousins ranging from Boston all the way to Alaska. 

Anyway, what's important is that we all meet at this park in the city of Catasaqua. We have a huge picnic   lunch, have our annual meeting, play a few games and then head out. It's a lot of fun. Even if things are changing.

There's an old creek (it's actually a crick, but not many people outside of the region are familiar with that term) that's now dried up close by the picnic area. We used to play in it, catching small fish and bugs. We used to splash around and then run back to our parents for dessert.

There's also a playground and swimming pool. It was a rare summer we went to the pool, but we were always running around the play ground. There's an old merry go round, probably one of the last since they're considered dangerous, that my cousin whose four months older than me and I would spin as hard as we could to make the younger kids sick. The adultery were never happy when we did that.

In years past my family would go to Dorney or Hershey  Park and ride roller coaster. We didn't this year, but that was mainly because I am working and my sister is off on another adventure. Some days I wish I could relive those days. It was a lot of fun getting my (then) 70 year old cousin on the rides.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please like, share or comment. I love hearing from my readers. I hope you enjoy these posts and the crazy things I have learned. Until next week.

Welcome To Alternative Culture

Because Normal Is Vastly Overrated...

This past weekend I went to BronyCon. I honestly did not know what to expect. It was my first Con and I had a lot of fun. It's an interesting story about how I found myself surrounded by fans for a show called "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic".

My ex significant other (yes they are an ex now, we haven't gotten around to changing our profiles yet on social media) had been a big fan of the music movement surrounding the Brony movement. They were also a fan of the show. For my readers who do not know, a Brony is typically an adult male fan of the show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". However the term Brony is occasionally applied to any adult who is a part of the fandom.

The fandom is huge. I have gotten into the music as well and there are a ton of fan made songs for the show. They are really good and the performers are excellent to watch life. I really like the alternative rock songs myself.  

However a lot of people find it odd that Bronies or really any fandom (other than sports) exist. I don't because fandoms have existed for a long time (see Trekkie for reference). They're really just another medium for people to express themselves with. A creative outlet to escape from reality.

And sometimes it goes against what is the current culture (I repeat see the history of Trekkie for details). It's different and a little odd, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It makes life interesting.

Most people still view comic books and cartoons as being strictly for children, yet people continue to enjoy them well into their adult years (the existence of ComicCon is proof of this). The question is why. Why are shows, stories and other mediums typically geared towards children able to create huge followings that span generations?

I think the simplest answer is: the story. All of these things exist because people enjoy the story. Either because they loved it as a child or have found stumbled upon it as an adult. They find it engaging. That's why I love anime, manga (Japanese comic books) and comic books. There's the conflict, the adventure and the ability to watch characters grow from facing their challenges. It pulls on a person's emotions and makes them beg for more. Even going so far as to help a person struggling with their own challenges.

How many young girls identified with Hermione from Harry Potter because she was a cool bookish heroine? How many young men admired the heroics of Captain Kirk and wanted to be able to be that cool calm leader?

You might still think the idea of a Brony is weird. Yet they are a pretty awesome bunch of people to hang out with and talk to. I especially enjoyed watching some of our military take on the question about what kind of army the world of My Little Pony would have (by far my favorite panel after the voice acting and Who's Line game). Still have doubts?

Watch the show.

I'm serious. I didn't get it either until I watched the first few episodes of the show. That's when it clicked. The show is good and sends a good message. Yes its geared toward preteen girls, but that doesn't mean it's unintelligent.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers. Until next week!

Welcome To Thinking Out Loud

Yesterday my mom visited to help me clean out some stuff from one of my closets. I cannot deny the fact that I am a bit of a pack rat. I have old notebooks from middle and highschool, not to mention all my college stuff. I admit, as a personal flaw, that I am sentimental about really stupid things and just won't throw them out because of how much I loved it when I was six.

However, my inability to get rid of junk is not the topic this week. While my mom was here, we went out to lunch for drinks (interpret that sentence how you will) and we bonded as we tend to do when out on the town. I started going off about one of the novels I'm writing. (Fine I admit it, I'm trying to be a writer, it won't be a reality until I actually finish a draft.)  Mom was asking me questions and as we talked I was further developing the plot(s). In essence this weeks post was her idea.

She is right, of course. I tend to do my best thinking when a) I'm pacing around my apartment, b) I am listening to music and/ or c) I'm talking out loud with someone about whatever I'm stuck on. This last method happens more often than not, when I'm angsting about something. I tend to just go off about my problems until there is a resolution or a new problem emergese. I'm sure many of you remember my cable rant(s).

The fact is, writing and talking almost go hand for me. I write to express my problems and come up with improbable, yet hilarious scenarios to solve them. I talk to express my problems and come up with practicle ways to solve my problems. It's also sometimes nice to just have someone as a so sympathetic sound board.

It's just another weird aspect of my personality.

If you enjoyed this post, please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys are enjoying my crazy life. It is certainly entertaining for me, once I stop freaking out. Until next week.

Welcome To Indifference

I find that it is getting harder and harder to find a topic to write about each week. I'm not sure if it is because it's been a year since graduation and all the novelty has worn off or if I've just hit a point where I've fallen into a nice routine with little change to disrupt myself with. I am not sure how I feel about that. I feel I should still be in a constant state of flux and change.

Does this mean I need to take a big risk and cause a major change in my life?

I'm not sure how wise that would be. I'm somewhat comfortable with where I am. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do and who I want to be. Maybe I need this break from constant learning to be indifferent.

Then again, indifference could be a bad thing. I could stop wanting to do my best or become bored and I am not someone who handles boredom well. Oh don't get me wrong, I love down time as much as the next introvert. However, I feel I should be more excited in general and ready to seize the day with gusto. I remember how I planned my life around getting into the College I wanted to and was so proud the day I got in. Now, I'm not sure what to plan on. I don't know if what I am doing is what I want (let alone need).

So I am back to my first question. Is my current bout of indifference good or bad? Heck, is what I'm feeling even indifference?

I don't have the answers, so I guess I have to keep searching for them. Onward I go.

If you enjoy this post please leave a comment or like and share it with your friends, family or worst enemies. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you enjoy these posts. Until next week.

Welcome to Victories and Defeat

The World Cup has ended and Germany pulled through for me! I'm very proud of them. It was a great game with a lot of intense moments. Hopefully you guys at least caught the last twenty minutes of over time. It was a great victory!

I went to my fist Major League Baseball game this week. It was amazing! I saw the Orioles play the Nats in Baltimore and had a great time with the church people. I rooted for the home team since it was hard not to. I'm typically a Nats fan as I'm originally from the DC area. The pastor and his family are huge Nats fans though, so he earned some teasing from the rest of us. The Os lost to the Nats, but it wasn't that big of a disappointment for me.

My church league softball game could have gone a lot better. We were slaughtered by 21 runs. I just wish the team we had been playing had been a little more considerate. They were clearly enjoying beating the pants off us. Our side still had a fun day, but we were a little demoralized by the end.

That's kind of how my life is. I win some and I loose some. However I wasn't too disappointed by my losses this week. They weren't life threatening and I didn't have any hard feelings against the opposition. It was fun and exciting. I just wish I hadn't been stuck in the outfield baking away in the hot sun for as long as I had been.

If you enjoyed this post please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and joy your thought. Until next week.

Welcome To Fan Perils

Happy Forth of July weekend everyone! Yes, Independence Day was on Friday. I got to set off legal fireworks for my glorious audience and have a wonderful dinner prepared for by my sister. She is an excellent cook and made a truly American meal of pulled pork and corn on the cob on the grill.

Yesterday I was with my roommate and their sig fig (significant other). We got along well and traded anime and Youtube shows to watch. Attack on Titan is my current passion (got my sister involved) and we were trying to get my roommate more into it. We had several adventures and trolled a few people online. I also proved what a nut case I am about my favorite characters.

*Warning Fan On Rampage!

Speaking of favorite characters, I saw Transformers 4 today. Once I left the theater incredibly pissed off. If it wasn't for my agreement to go see them with one of my friends, I would have skipped it. I am angry and not just because the teenaged girl was only ere for eye candy and completely useless. Honestly if you want good Transformers watch Transformers Prime (everything we ever believed about Starscream is true!) or invest in the comics (at least Prowl is in them).

*End Of Fan Rant

Sorry I just really needed to get that out of my system. If you haven't noticed yet, I am a bit of a fan for certain works of fiction. It's a good way to relax and get involved with other people. I mean I did join an anime club and have finally started doing some cosplay. Believe it or not fanfiction also helps with the stress and practice writing fiction for an audience.

It just sucks when someone (Michael Bay) messes with your fandom. I just hope TMNT turns out okay.

To be fair not everyone understands fans like me (and I'm not even one of the really crazy ones), but we all have passions. My Japanese cousins tend to think that I'm a crazy otaku (it's more of a joke now than anything) and I'm okay with that. It's an outlet much like sports fanatics. In fact the word fan comes from the word fanatic. Most of you probably already knew that.

It's what I need to keep me entertained. It expands and influences my imagination. How else am I supposed to make reality stranger than fiction. I have to improve upon things that have already been thought of.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off please share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers (even the international ones I'll use google translate even if it is a horrible service) and hope you guys enjoy reading about my struggles (and hopefully learning from them). Until next week.

Welcome To One Year Anniversaries

 This past week and this upcoming week are two important mile stones for me (or at least I think they're two important miles stones). The first was me moving out of my parent's house. The second starting my first "adult" job.

My readers might have also noticed that I had not posted anything last week. Let me tell you guys, it's been a very rocky two weeks and this one does not look to be all that smooth either. However I am still grateful for what I have accomplished in one year's time. I almost want to do a recap, but that would be uninformative and (honestly) a bit dull.

I'm not even sure what to write about this. Some of my recently graduated friends and friends going into their senior year of college have asked me a few questions. Like if I've managed to stay in touch with my psudo sorority sisters at all (I keep in touch on occasion). I've been asked if I enjoy what I'm doing. How it feels to be an "adult". Do you like being in a completely new environment (that's a bit more technical than the actual  questions).

Honestly, most of the questions I can sum up with, its different or fine. A lot of people seem to think I'm on some grand adventure, but its really not all that exciting. Yeah there have been my freakout moments. I think my problems with the toilet have stopped for now. I've definatly learned to read the fine print of anything sent to me. I'm also less prone to flipping out if anything happens in my apartment.

So I have grown and matured, a little bit. I still watch Saturday morning cartoons and Lets Plays of horror video games (totally recomend Erik vanWilderman if you don't mind his swearing and crude humor).

I'm also writing more. My goal is to have a draft of one novel by the end of this year (might up that to Thanksgiving, but hey it's my goal). My other goal is to save as much as I can because I want to either travel on my own for a bit (yeah great career move there) or try to start a business or something  while on the road (I'll never have a vacation again).

I've also managed to make some great friends along the way both at church and in my anime club. They're a lot of fun to hang out with when I can. Heck I'm even going to an Os game next week.  It will be great!

I think what the one year anniversary really means for me is that, yes I can do this, now do it again only better. I have to keep moving forward and I have to keep testing my limits. That's all this means. I'm glad to have a great support system in place, even if I forget to use them (which is bad of me).

If you enjoyed this post (or you really hated it) kindly comment or share with your friends, family or worst enemy. I love hearing from my readers (and I know you all are there), so let me know what you all think. Until next week.

Welcome To Getting Sick

I might have already moped about getting sick, but when you're away from your family, it sucks to get sick. In college I had the Health Center to go to whenever I felt like I was going to keel over. Now I have to figure out if it's worth it to find a doctor. Heck I don't even have a general practioner now. The last time I went to a doctor because I was sick, it was to a pediatrician ( I'm not even going to get in to the time I ended up in the ER some years before).

Honestly I can't stand getting sick. I'd rather be out having a life (or just relaxing by the pool). I've spent most of the day curled up on my couch sleeping. Now instead of my mom taking care of me, I have to do it myself. I had to go out and buy orange juice and cold meds (hopefully the right kind) while sick. No one to do things for me. Alright I'll stop crying about this.

Some things I try when I can feel myself getting sick are:

1) Use a humidifier (but only in the winter) - I get seasonal colds when the weather changes, these things help so much going from a very humid climate to a very dry one.

2) Honey - helps with soar throats. I either eat it straight or add it to some ginger tea.

3) Ginger - helps with aches and pains. Tea is my favorite medicinal form. I can make it as strong as I'd like.

4) Citrise - orange juice, lemons in hot or cold water, limes are all filled with vitamin C and yummy.

5) Movie Marathons - the best way to spend an afternoon curled up under a blanket trying to get better. Such is my remedy.

Hopefully I'm better by tomorrow.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off please comment or share. I love hearing from my readers. Until next week.

Welcome To Comic Relief

Yeah, I know it's Monday and not Sunday, but it was a long weekend. I was very tired yesterday. Oh well.

Today there was a bat in my office. I thought it was hilarious, everyone else not so much. I had a hard time concentrating for the rest of the day though, but I think I needed a moment to laught. In fact I often feel like I need something funny and totally ridiculous to wake myself up. The bat was definitely a great way to rejuvenate.

I think I need to laugh more. It helps with the stress and other problems. Things that come out of left field or that are totally unexpected really make my day. Okay yes I'm still laughing about the bat. One of my coworkers screamed really loud. I thought the bat was cute. It looked so sad that it couldn't be free.

I noticed that in really dramatic shows (Attack on Titan which I got my sister into and totally recomend) mix comic in at just the right moements. It defuses the tense situation and you can't help to laugh. I need a lot more of that. Laughter is good for the should.

I honestly wish I had more to write tonight, but the words just aren't coming. Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please comment or share it with friends, family, your worst enemy or that guy you just ment.

Also Attack on Titan is awesome! When is season 2 coming out. I need more!

Welcome To Taking Chances

I like routine. It is both a blessing and a flaw. I don't particularly care for change and will put up a fight when faced with it. I'm on the shy side of the personality spectrum and need lots of down time between each human contact. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I will admit that I do occasionally like taking changes.

For the most part, the changes I take don't have the worst consequences. It usually just involves me seeing if something will happen and if it does that's great. If nothing happens I would go home and bemoan the loss of gas and time spent not doing something productive.

Today I went to church. This wasn't all that unusual as I try to go whenever I am home (so most weekends). This week I found out there was a pick up soft ball game after the service. So I went. It was a lot of fun and afterwards I went to a party with the players. I wasn't expecting being social today, but it was well worth it and I think I've made some new friends.

Another chances I took was signing up to go to a baseball game on a Wednesday. I'm not sure yet if I will have to be away for work that night, but I thought, what the heck I might as well sign up. Hopefully I will be there for the game. It sounds like a lot of fun and I'm paying money for it. If I have to pay money then I want to enjoy what I'm paying for.

However taking changes does not always go well. I try to minimize these experiences and I don't particularly feel like sharing any on this blog (read: typically ending with me really embarrassed), but I think it's important to take chances. You never know what will happen and it could turn out well.

If you enjoyed or it really pissed you off this blog, please share with your friends family or worst enemies. I enjoy hearing from my readers. Thank you, until next week.

Welcome To Having Good Mentors

A few nights ago, I was speaking with one of my many uncles. He was reassuring me about something or other with regards to my job. I often call him because he lives on the opposite coast and is awake when I am more likely to be freaking out. He is very helpful and often either reassures my decision or tells me how I can do better.

I have come to realize how important it is to have mentors and not just at my job. You also need some people who are removed from the daily stress and can give you a outside opinion. This can help you build a more rounded view of the world.

I have read that having multiple mentors is a good idea. I feel I have at least four. My uncle, my manager at work and two close family friends. Each mentor brings a different perspective. I might not always keep in touch with them as often as I would like to, but I do my best and listen to them as often as I can.

How to know you have a good mentor? I'm not really sure. I know the people who I listen to want me to make the best decisions I can for my career. Personally I think it is best to have mentors in multiple settings. Have at least one at work, one in the family you can rely on, and a few mentors who aren't related and don't work with you. Hopefully you'll find people who are good at giving advise and make great friends.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I know you guys are there. Thank you for reading. Until next week.

Welcome To Unique Opportunities

This past week I was in Hawaii with my significant other. How you may wonder did I manage to go on a vacation to Hawaii? To put it simply, I saw an opportunity and took it. My Sig Fig had to go to Hawaii for work and I decided to tag along for my vacation. I have to say that it was awesome!

The first weekend, we stayed at a resort hotel right on the beach with tons of pools and activities. I honestly could have spent the entire week there, but alas I am still just starting out and don't have quite that much financial stability just yet. We then stayed at a hotel his work provided. This second lodgings was partially why I was able to go. The second reason was that my dad generously gave me a ton of points to fly out (when I looked at plane tickets I about died). Sure I had to sit in the dead center for 7 hours for one leg of my journey, but I did get first class for 3 glorious hours and yes I did order a mimosa.

Some of my sig fig's friends were entertained by the fact that I wasn't worried about entertaining myself while he worked. To be honest I was a little nervous as I was unfamiliar with the area, but after I panicked for a few hours, I put my big person pants on and figured out a plan of action.

Since I am fairly used to traveling on my own, here are some ways to find opportunities when you have no idea what you are doing.

1) Figure out the public transportation system. I grew up outside of a large city with a metro. Once I understood which stop took me where it was easy hop on and off all day. The same thing goes when traveling. Local buses and trains are a lot cheaper than taxis and often offer passes for daily or weekly use.

2) Call friends or family in the area. If I know or am related to someone in the area I will be in (or a friend of a family member) I will occasionally call them up and ask them for ideas of things to do or beg them to take me places. If they do take me some place, I try to take them out for food or fill up their gas tank.

3) Make friends. You can make friends anywhere and it is something I am pretty good at. However if you make friends with people on the trip, be sure to still play it safe. Always tell someone who you are with and for how long. If you get uncomfortable have a check in time to let people know you are okay. You should never be afraid to make new friends, but still make sure you remember that you have no idea who these new friends are until you started talking to them.

4) Walk around. It will give you a chance to get the lay of your surroundings in case you get lost. It's always good to know where some landmarks are to find your way back.

5) Don't hesitate to go out of your comfort zone. Unless it looks like a really bad idea (something that could cause you mortal or psychological harm), try it. You might be surprised at what happens. Get lost or go somewhere you wouldn't think you'd like.

I might not go on epic adventures in Narnia, but I can still daydream. For now I'll be content to explore the opportunities I have and that includes any trips that might pop up. They might be extravagant like a trip to Hawaii or dressed in overalls (as my grandma used to say) like pulling weeds for an older family member and ending up with awesome references.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please comment or share with friends, family, or your worst enemy. I love hearing from my readers and I know you guys are there. Until next week.

Welcome To Romantic Relationships

Complicated doesn't begin to describe it...

My Significant Other, often referred to as my Sig Fig, is an amazing person. My Sig Fig knows how to spoil me rotten and make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. I am very lucky and fortunate.

We met in college, but didn't start dating until after we both graduated. I was a class year younger. We got back in touch when I moved to the same state (abate about an hour away). We started dating in August and it's been wonderful.

It isn't perfect though. I admit that I am very independent, stubborn and a bit absent minded. My Sig Fig is studying to be an army doctor and doesn't have a lot of free time. I always worry that if we spend too much time together we'd end up hating each other, but when we have had the opportunity to spend (the rare) extended time together, it has been okay. Though my organizing skills could turn in to an issue. 

I wish we could spend more time together and I fear the first time one of us looses our temper for the first time (trust me I have a nasty one). My Sig Fig is an amazing person and I want the best for both of us. I'm scared for the future, but enjoying the present. 

If you enjoyed this post or really hated it, please comment or share with friends, family or worst enemies. I know I have readers and I love hearing from you. Until next week.

Welcome to Spring

It Appears To Have Finnally Arrived

Spring seems to have finally shown up. There is definatly a thick layer of yellow pollen on my car. I'm sneezing more  and I don't need to have my air conditioning nor heater on (saving on bill yay!). 

Spring is definatly a more mild season than winter. Sure we've had more rain than usual and a sink hole opened up in Baltimore and swallowed like 20 cars. That was both terrifying and somewhat hilarious at the same time. I think I need to check on what I think is funny.

Honestly the biggest thing about spring is that it's not too hot and too cold (usually). However, this area seems to go from extreme winter to extreme summer in two days. There is no slow transition. We used at have a saying at my old college. "Welcome to Williamsbuge where the weather's made up and the seasons don't matter."

Spring also means I'm another year older and supossibly wiser (not really, but it's a nice thought). It used to mean the end of the school year and the start of FREEDOM, but I only get three weeks now (it's a French company). 

Spring is here, but I'm not as interested as I was for winter. I just hope my area doesn't flood.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers. Until next week.

Welcome To Keeping Track

I have discovered that it becomes difficult to keep track of all the things that need to get done in a day, week, month and year. Ovcasionally it's not so much that I forget, but just didn't read the fine print, lost the due by date, or just procrastinated on purpose because I just didn't want to do it (this one usually leads to me forgetting to do whatever it is I put off). So here are a few things that I have started doing (or should be doing but haven't started yet - if ever).

1) Make a list of everything that needs to be done and keep it in a location that you will always notice. I usually have one hanging above my computer at the office.

2) Set an alarm. This one is usually good for the reoccurring weekly and monthly items on your list. Be careful it's still just as easy to hit the snooze button.

3) Have all bills in one location. This way you won't forget to pay one.

4) Ask someone to help you remember. I typically reserve this one for despritely times, however it is also flawed. If it's not at the forefront of their mind, it still might not get done.

Bonus: 5) Tie a string around your figure. This ridiculous old school method does indeed work, because you are usually constantly aware that you have a stupid looking string tied around your fungure.

Just remember that everyone is forgetful, after all we are only human. Most things we forget are easily corrected. When you can't fix a mistake, you move on and continue focusing on the future.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please comment or share it with friends, family or your worst enemy. I love hearing from my readers and I certainly apriciate the fact you guys seem to think I'm interesting enough to read. Thank you!

Until next week.

Welcome To Emails

You need to know how todo this properly!

I turn 23 soon. I don't feel any different. I did find a song to be my theme this year. "What's my age again" by Blink 182. Trust it works.

One of the most stressful parts of my job is one I do all the time, it's writing emails. People, especially young tech savvy people, might not realize how important it is to write a proper email. It is very difficult to convey tone through an email and it can be very easy to offend someone when you don't mean to. My boss tries to help me whenever he can to improve this skill because believe it or not it's not a skill learned in school.

Some tips for writing emails:

1) Don't use text speak. You should make sure everything is spelled and grammatically correct.

2) Check to make sure you are sending it to the right person or persons. I've already sent several emails to the wrong people. It is highly embarrassing and can get you into real deep trouble.

3) Never put anything negative in an email. My boss is constantly telling me this one and he is absolutely correct. If it's in writing and in cyberspace anyone might spot it and report it. That is my warning. Don't do it!

4) tone is difficult to convey - except when you type in caps. When someone types in caps it makes the reader think the writer is shorting at them. Ergo don't write in caps unless you want to piss someone off.

5) Reread the email before sending it. Make sure the email is clear and the person receiving it will understand what you are talking about. Otherwise this might cause more problems than solve.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please comment or share it with friends, family or your worst enemy. Though I will not tolerate cyberbullying. I'd also like to thank all my readers for the 1000 hits on my blog. Thank you all.

Welcome To The Laws Of The Jungle

The Odds Are Not In Your Favor...

This week was an emotional roller coaster for me. My cable company decided they were giving me too many channels for the price I was paying and took away about two thirds of them. I will miss TNT, TBS, Travel Channel, BBC America, and ABC Family, but it seems the cable company in question has me in a chock hold over how much the internet is worth. 

Now before I start getting an earful about what an entitled little millennial I am, I would like to point out that I am a) just starting out on a tight budget, b) my cable bill is almost always higher than my utilities bill combined (not counting January, February and March of this year with all the freezing weather), and finally c) the internet is required for me to do my job if I ever have to work from home. Believe it or not, sometimes I have to work from because of personal issues, complications with the internet at work (yeah this happened too), or I climate weather. Now I could go to the public library or coffee shop for internet service when I have to work from home, except when snow hits everything closes and I am still expected to work. Here lies my problem. 

Now there are a lot of self help website out there explaining how to "get the most out of your cable company", these morsels of advice only work if there is competition in your area. Since my apartment management apparently has an exclusive contract with one cable company, I have no means of competition to work with. I am stuck in a localized monopoly that seems top league the majority of the nation. Is this fair? No, but this is the way of life. 

I guess I was lulled into the fallacy that I live in a "free market capitalist society" where competition keeps prices low and consumers have choices. I guess I was wrong. There are very few things I can do to change these circumstances, though I am looking at my options carefully (writing the local politicians and national senators seems like a good yet useless endeavor). 

I think what I am most displeased with is my lack of choices. I like having many options that I can choose from and still keep a level of security. If life has taught me anything since leaving college, it's that the world is an expensive place to live in and that it's just not fair. People and companies lie (no a corporation  is not a person no matter how many loop holes they have to make it appear otherwise). I also have learned that I like having choices and get very cranky when these choices are taken away from me. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please leave a comment or share it with your friends, family or worst enemy. I kindly ask that you do not leave mean and spiteful messages as this will be seen as cyberbullying and I will be blocking, reporting and committing your name to memory (I will leave you to your imagination with that).

I would also like to take this moment to thank my readers. I am almost to 1000 hits on my blog in less than a year. I feel amazed and am grateful to all my loyal readers. Perhaps without all those channels I will finally buckle down and write those novels. 

Until next week.

Welcome To Weddings

Before I begin tonight's post, I would like to take a second to let everyone know that I received a very nasty message on Facebook today about my blog. Now this message did somewhat hurt, however, this troll actually took the time to read my blog before messaging me. This tells me that a)this person who trolled me has no real life and b) I must be doing something right if someone out there took the time to try to Cyberbully me. So I am going to keep writing and if anyone else decides for whatever reason to send nasty messages they shall be reported, blocked and ignored. I find trolls dull. They need more hugs in their lives. So moral of this cyberbullying is bad.

Anyway, on to the subject of weddings.

I have a friend from college and a coworker who are both getting married this summer. This is both wonderful and terrifying. It's wonderful to see how happy my friends are, but it's terrifying to think that this is the stage that my life is at. I've been to weddings in the past, but this is the first that it is a college friend getting married. I feel much older because of that fact.

Wedding educate is also a lot different now that I'm older. Before I didn't have to worry about the gifts or how to act and dress. My mom just told me what to do and I did it. I was always on my best behavior. It just feels different than from when I was a little kid.

I admit to fantasizing about getting married and living my life with my significant other. However I also admit that I personally have no idea what I want in life. I am currently content to keep seeing what happens right now. I have always lived by planning my next step. Right now i like not knowing the future.

I will just have to make double sure I remember the wedding present this time. I left part of the wedding shower gift behind. Oops.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) share it with friends, family or your worst enemies. I love hearing from my readers, though less so the trolls and cyberbullies (that is why to be famous you need such a thick skin). Please let me know your thoughts or if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Welcome To Electricity And Lack Thereof...

Another week and another blog. I watched Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog tonight. If you haven't seen it, you should. Love Neil Patrick Harris, he's amazing in it. It's also Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family. I think I've hit a new HP overload. However, I have realized that I tend to forget that to watch all of these things I need electricity.

Well guess what, on Wednesday I woke up to no electricity. Yep that's right. I had no heat (yeah sure the calendar says it's Spring, I'll believe it when the weather starts acting like it). I had no mans of cooking breakfast. I also had a very hard time moving around in the bathroom.

Luckily I had some food I didn't need a microwave or hot water maker for and was able to eat that. I managed to put on make via cell phone and flashlight light. These things were still harder to pull off without overhead lights, but I at least looked decent. The coffee situation, though, had to wait until I got to my office. Three cups of coffee later and I was finally awake enough to realize my situation could have been worse.

The first thing I did, after noticing that my bedside light wouldn't go on, was to call my maintenance people. I left a message and quickly called BGE. BGE (the electric and gas company near me) informed me they already knew about the situation and were working to fix it. The estimated time for power to return 9:30, well after I was planning on leaving for work. I also have probably mentioned this, but the maintenance guys kind of know who I am. So they were nice enough to give me a call (fairly soon after the BGE call) and told me it had been a blown transformer or transfuse box (something along those lines). I got a little chuckle with the blown transformer idea (well my car is called Silverstreak).

I got to work almost an hour earlier than usual and finally got my coffee. I am fairly certain I looked like a hot mess all day, but not many people were in. Still all of this made me reflect on how important electricity is in my life. It is so ingrained that I hardly think about turning on a light or making coffee. I know I'm a bit crazy about my electrical consumption (to the point I unplug all devices in my kitchen when I'm not using them), but not having the option to turn on a light is scary and annoying. I do have candles, but you got to be careful to light anything (or anyone) on fire.

However, given the choice, I would still take no electricity over no water. I can at least survive without electricity, but water is vital to life (not to mention hygiene). If I lost power for the long term, I would be annoyed, but could survive. If I lost water for an indefinite period, I would flip out. I know have a new appreciation for having clean water I can use. With everything in he news recently about contaminated water in PA and WV, I am thankful for every glass full.

If you liked this post (or it really pissed you off) please leave a comment or share with your friends, family and/or your worst enemy. I love hearing from my readers and hope you enjoyed this week's post. Until next week!