journals

What I'm doing now, blogging, is basically journaling and I have been doing that since grade school when I ordered my very first diary from scholastic books. Back then I just wrote about what I did for the day, "Today was sunny and I saw the boy I had a crush on but I think he likes Becky." My life was so full back then. When I was moving I went through some boxes I hadn't opened in years and found my journals. I've only looked through the one I had written in in college and when I read it I can't help but laugh my ass off... then feel embarrassed that I was the one who wrote that sh*t. I wrote a lot of stuff about dreams and goals, blah blah blah... stuff you write about when you're idealistic and feel like you can accomplish anything because you think the world is a fair place. I also wrote about the Iraq War number two, including magazine cut outs I pasted in the journal. I know. I am so lame. I want to puke. Sadly, that is not the worst part. I even drew stick figures of George W. Bush bombing Sadaam Hussein. Yep. I was a college student and a registered voter when I did this. I was all about politics, current events and foreign affairs in college. Although, in my defense everyone was because of 9-11. I was a total snob about it. I once did not want to date a guy because he did not know who Condoleezza Rice was. Not that I was a pro-Condi, I just couldn't believe he didn't know who the Secretary of State was at the time, and if you were someone who didn't vote, don't even bother talking to me. I know. If I could travel back in time, I would punch me in the face too.

So at the first few pages of of my journal I kept a running list of things I wanted to accomplish. Check out my last entry. That is the smartest thing I ever wrote in this journal.

Incase you can't see the photo clearly here's what it says:

20. Have my own library

21. Sky Diving (which I really don't care to do anymore)

22. Get into graduate school and score high on the GRE (I guess I can cross off get into grad school)

23. Live on my own and be completely financially independent (I guess I can cross that off too)

24. Join a protest for some cause

25. Punch someone in the face

(I'm not sure what the numbers at the end mean)

Anyway, I am not sure if journaling is such a great idea. For me, it seems like all it ever did was keep a written record of my stupidity... but then again... that is probably a good thing.

wedding why's

I have attended enough weddings in the past two years that will last me a lifetime. The more I attend weddings the more I find the idea of a "wedding" silly. I'm not saying marriage is silly, I'm strictly talking about the wedding. When you've attended dozens of weddings you begin to ask WHY?

WHY do we all stand around watching the bride and groom have their first dance? That must be awkward for the bride and groom, having all eyes one them during a very intimate moment. I don't know about you, but having an audience while I dance is the last thing I want.

WHY does every married couple at the wedding insist that every single woman and man participate in the bouquet/garter toss? I have never caught the bouquet before and was always terrified of catching it. I am usually the one who stands in the back because some annoying married person dragged me out to the floor. The idea behind the bouquet toss is that whoever catches the bouquet will be the lucky one who gets married next. What if you don't want to be married next? The bouquet toss is essentially to see what desperate single girl is out there stupid enough to believe that catching the bouquet will land her a husband. I know that's harsh, but think about it. That is what the bouquet toss promotes.

Most of all, WHY do people spend tens of thousands of dollars (millions for celebs) on weddings? Not to mention the amount of time and effort put into the wedding and the politics of who should be invited and who shouldn't be. Don't get me wrong, I have attended some really fun and beautiful weddings and am grateful for being a part of such an important event, but I think I also would've had a great time at a normal backyard bbq celebrating the couple. Unfortunately, the problem with that is people look down on cheap weddings, so couples struggle to save money for a "fancy" wedding. I don't know why we snub cheaper weddings. Perhaps it's because we are saturated with stories about million dollar celebrity weddings (whose marriages by the way only lasts about two years at best).  Well, whatever the reason, this is the culture we have created. This is the society we live in.

WHY isn't everyone else just as cynical as I am?

life as an 80s teen movie

Am I too old to still wish that my life was like an 80s teen movie? I was just watching Sixteen Candles. The scene where Samantha walks out of the church wearing that lavender Mary Bo Beep dress, which I kind of like by the way, and sees Jake Ryan and all of his hotness waiting for her gets me EVERY. TIME.

One could argue that life is like an 80s teen movie. The protagonist struggles throughout the entire movie on his or her quest to be popular or gain the affection of someone who is out of their league while the really cool less good looking best friend gets ignored and all of the good looking jerks just sail smoothly through the entire movie. That pretty much seems like real life to me: Life is easy for the good looking and boys are stupid for pretty girls. Fortunately, father of the teen movie genre John Hughes left us a gift-- the hope for a happy ending. Samantha gets her birthday cake from Jake Ryan, Andie ends up with Blane, Ferris gets away with his day off, Saturday school teaches us a lesson on acceptance and Boof finally got the attention she deserved from Scott. Ok, I know that last one is not a Hughes movie but you get my point.

You may find it odd that I'm blogging at 2 in the morning, but about 3 hours ago I woke up from a 3 hour nap. Also, I would like to send a shout out to friends who call and check up on you (even when they're 500 miles away) to make sure you aren't laying face down in a puddle of your own puke. Now that is a homie fo' life.

Dining Area and Kitchen

I am finally almost settled into my new apartment. The kitchen is ready to be used, although I have yet to use the sad little electric stove and oven and I have been living here for 15 days.

The Dining Area

Dining Table and chairs and cart (with microwave on top) - IKEA (The table was a great deal, it's less than $200 for the entire set. I really liked the look of the unfinished wood).

Curtains - World Market

Chair cushions - Anthropologie (the chair cushions don't match because I got two of them on clearance and the other two a while back, but I like the mismatched look because it's more affordable).

Shelves - Planters from Home Depot garden section mounted as shelves. They were only $15 a piece!

The Kitchen

The kitchen is a really important part of a home for me, unfortunately, now that I am living in a rental there is not much I can do with the kitchen-- including the yucky stove. The shelves in the kitchen were boring and kind of ugly and since I can't paint them I pasted on these decorative leaves. I hope they stay on!

Falling leaves decal - Urban Outfitters (where I originally saw them) but you should get them from Amazon for a much cheaper.

Towel hooks - World Market (the hooks look a lot like hooks sold by Anthropologie but at a third of the price).

I bought chalk board shelf liner and covered half of the freezer. I have no idea why there would be a chalk board shelf liner but it's worked well for me to jot down things I need to buy. You can get a chalkboard decal from Urban Outfitters, but again, you can get the shelf liner from Amazon for a fraction of the price and more material.

I am finding it a little difficult to decorate a rental but I think it is worth decorating and making it your own even if you only plan on living there for one year. I like to be able to come home and enjoy being at home. 

I have been doing most of my frame hanging late at night. I forget my neighbors are at such a close proximity and I have been using an electric drill. They are probably facebooking about me, their noisy neighbor.

house is now a home

A house is just not a home without cable t.v. and Internet. I'm sitting really close to the television because I don't have a wireless router and my modem is next to my cable box. Sitting this close to the television all I can think of is how my eyes are going to go bad, get brain cancer and die. At least that is what I was told when I was kid. Parents are such liars. Never trust what they say.

I also feel like I have time traveled to early 2000s because I have no wireless connection and I just got a landline. The t.v. though is obviously from the late 90s. 

Moving

As I am sure you all know, moving is such a pain the ass. I am finally moved in (not completely) but finally sleeping in my new apartment. My experience so fa:

1. It's great having a spare room for clothes (which is currently just sprawled out all over the floor in suitcases, boxes or garbage bags. I now live a mile from work, yet I managed to be late today.)

2. It is taking some getting used to sleeping in a new room. It's 1:50 a.m.

3. I no longer live in a house in the suburbs so when I forget something in my car that is parked around the corner, I think twice about walking out in my p.js and no bra.

4. Living alone makes you more aware of just how single you are, and I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. It is peaceful and quiet which is nice. But it can sometimes get too quiet especially now since my television is not yet hooked up. I miss the background noise of tv and as pathetic as it may sound, it is starting to make me feel kind of lonely. It is nice to talk to someone at the end of the day whoever that someone may be. Hmm, do people with pets talk to their pets at the end of the day? I can't have pets in my apartment, maybe I can get a plant. Can you imagine, a person talking to their plant at the end of the day? I don't know what is worst, being a crazy cat lady or a crazy plant lady.

5. I am having a great time and spending too much money decorating. I will post some photos when I get a chance.

6. My iPad rules and has kept me sane without television. Go and buy one, like, now. Charge up that credit card and get yourself an awesome toy.




P.s. I just realized I have this half finished blog about what it means overall for someone who buys or rents in regards to singleness.