Thursday, April 2, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
news
Lots of new things are happening! I'll start with the most recent.
As of yesterday, I am now a pescatarian (the only meat that I eat is fish/shellfish.) I know, you're probably thinking that it is a step down from being a vegetarian, and you're right. But it doesn't bother me that much. I was talking to my mom about meat in general, and after arguing for a little while and then talking to my sisters and Will, and doing a little research, I decided that it's okay for me to eat fish. My main reasons are as follows: for one thing, my doctor told me that I need to be eating fish regularly because I am anemic and because my HDL levels in my cholesterol are too low; fish is a very good source of protein and much better for you than red meat; even though there are fish farms that breed fish specifically for food, the fish are treated in a much more humane way than mammals; many scientists believe that fish do not feel pain the way that mammals do because of the way their brain works; and, for selfish reasons, I just like to eat seafood and it is much simpler to find something to eat at restaurants. So, there you go. I am a pescatarian. It's ok if you're disappointed in me. I am a little disappointed in myself. But I don't really feel like I failed at vegetarianism. I did it for four months, and when I first started it was just a trial run to see what I wanted to end up doing; it wasn't a permanent life choice. After some thought, I think I'll try it this way for a while. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't doing this for anyone else but myself, so there's no reason for me to feel too guilty. This all started as a simple choice to stop eating meat, and now I've made a different choice. It's ok!!! (I have to keep reminding myself)
The other big news is that Will and I have booked a trip to Las Vegas! It'll be at the end of May. We found a great deal to stay three nights and four days in the Paris hotel, which has always been my dream hotel. I've been to Vegas three times before, and I've always wanted to stay in Paris. And this summer I will finally be 21 so I can get into the bars and shows and casinos. I'm incredibly excited. And it turns out that Kellee and Nathan may be booking the same trip for the same days! Not by coincidence, of course. They knew when we were going. Anyway, it should be a great trip.
That's all the exciting news for now. Spring break has gone by way too quickly.
As of yesterday, I am now a pescatarian (the only meat that I eat is fish/shellfish.) I know, you're probably thinking that it is a step down from being a vegetarian, and you're right. But it doesn't bother me that much. I was talking to my mom about meat in general, and after arguing for a little while and then talking to my sisters and Will, and doing a little research, I decided that it's okay for me to eat fish. My main reasons are as follows: for one thing, my doctor told me that I need to be eating fish regularly because I am anemic and because my HDL levels in my cholesterol are too low; fish is a very good source of protein and much better for you than red meat; even though there are fish farms that breed fish specifically for food, the fish are treated in a much more humane way than mammals; many scientists believe that fish do not feel pain the way that mammals do because of the way their brain works; and, for selfish reasons, I just like to eat seafood and it is much simpler to find something to eat at restaurants. So, there you go. I am a pescatarian. It's ok if you're disappointed in me. I am a little disappointed in myself. But I don't really feel like I failed at vegetarianism. I did it for four months, and when I first started it was just a trial run to see what I wanted to end up doing; it wasn't a permanent life choice. After some thought, I think I'll try it this way for a while. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't doing this for anyone else but myself, so there's no reason for me to feel too guilty. This all started as a simple choice to stop eating meat, and now I've made a different choice. It's ok!!! (I have to keep reminding myself)
The other big news is that Will and I have booked a trip to Las Vegas! It'll be at the end of May. We found a great deal to stay three nights and four days in the Paris hotel, which has always been my dream hotel. I've been to Vegas three times before, and I've always wanted to stay in Paris. And this summer I will finally be 21 so I can get into the bars and shows and casinos. I'm incredibly excited. And it turns out that Kellee and Nathan may be booking the same trip for the same days! Not by coincidence, of course. They knew when we were going. Anyway, it should be a great trip.
That's all the exciting news for now. Spring break has gone by way too quickly.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I was planning on posting soon, and since Nancy seemed so ready for it, I thought I'd do it now. My 21st birthday is very close. I can't stop thinking about it. I already have four parties lined up for that weekend. I'll fill you in on the plans: on my actual birthday, thursday, I'm going out with Will and our close friends to eat at Joe T. Garcia's and then party at Pete's Piano Bar (woo!); the next night I'll go to Dave and Buster's with my dad and Lita and the rest of our family; the next night I'll go to AJ's gig with my mom and Bob and the rest of our family (now that I will finally be able to get into one of his gigs!); and then finally, on Sunday, Will and I are going horseback riding then going out for a nice dinner together. It should all be a blast!
I have to give a 5-6 minute oral presentation in Spanish tomorrow about the Panamanian painter, Guillermo Trujillo. I don't think I have it all memorized yet, but hopefully I'll feel prepared by the end of the night.
I'm ready for spring break. I won't have school or work for a week. This week is stressful with school, but also because my parents are out of town and I am in charge of caring for our four cats-- three of which are very sick. It's a huge hassle. I have to give medicine to two of them every morning and night, which isn't easy since cats are squirmy and fast. And I have to clean up nasty poopy from the other sick one, who can't seem to make it to the litterbox before he goes to the bathroom. It's very nasty. I almost threw up as I was cleaning it up this morning.
Anyway. That's about all for now.
I have to give a 5-6 minute oral presentation in Spanish tomorrow about the Panamanian painter, Guillermo Trujillo. I don't think I have it all memorized yet, but hopefully I'll feel prepared by the end of the night.
I'm ready for spring break. I won't have school or work for a week. This week is stressful with school, but also because my parents are out of town and I am in charge of caring for our four cats-- three of which are very sick. It's a huge hassle. I have to give medicine to two of them every morning and night, which isn't easy since cats are squirmy and fast. And I have to clean up nasty poopy from the other sick one, who can't seem to make it to the litterbox before he goes to the bathroom. It's very nasty. I almost threw up as I was cleaning it up this morning.
Anyway. That's about all for now.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
weird day
Today has been interesting. Will and I were walking outside beneath a huge flock of birds, and one decided to poop on me. I felt something hit the side of my head and frantically worried that it was poop, then Will pointed out that it was, indeed, poop. I foolishly reached up and touched it, so then it was on my hand, as well as my hair, my neck, and the collar of my shirt. It wasn't a huge amount, but it was still very gross. I really don't like germs. Dirty things really gross me out, so this was very disconcerting for me. Anyway, I went into the nearest bathroom and scrubbed my neck as hard as I could, and vigorously washed the poopy hair with handsoap. Bleh. I've been pooped on by a bird one other time when I was younger, but it was worse that time because it was a WHOLE LOT of poop right down the front of my overalls, and I didn't really know what had happened until Gaelan started cracking up and laughed at me the whole way home while I was crying. Anyway. I wasn't such a baby this time. But it was still nasty.
Another interesting thing was the storm that came and went just a little bit ago. I came home at about 9 tonight, and basically as soon as I walked in the door, my mom starts freaking out and emptying a closet so we can all take cover. The sirens had gone off and apparently there was a tornado seen on highway 26, headed for Grapevine. It was kind of amusing watching my mom and Bob hectically throw everything out of the closet and seeing the cats running around like crazy. I got in the closet for a brief time (my mom made me), but the storm was moving so quickly that it soon passed us and now we are safe. But according to the news, the roof of a house in Southlake came off because of the wind. Yikes.
And lastly, my mom and my sisters have not been on speaking terms for about a week because of ridiculous reasons that I won't go into for fear of embarrassing them (and myself.) But thanks to the seriousness of the storm and the fact that we all care about each other's safety, both sisters called our house to check on us tonight, so I think everything will be fine now. No one was yelling or bringing up the past, so I think that's where it will stay. You see, my family has NEVER been into apologizing. It is not the way we were brought up. So all three of them were basically waiting for an event like tonight to happen that would force them to speak to each other without having to acknowledge that anything bad ever happened. And that's the way it will always be in my family. Instead of bringing up what happened, we talk about something else and just move on. We do not admit we were wrong no matter what if we believe we were in the right. It's annoying, but that's just the way it is. Probably the hardest thing in the world for me is to apologize about something serious. I have issues with being imperfect, so for me to actually admit defeat is extremely difficult. Hopefully I'll get better someday.
Another interesting thing was the storm that came and went just a little bit ago. I came home at about 9 tonight, and basically as soon as I walked in the door, my mom starts freaking out and emptying a closet so we can all take cover. The sirens had gone off and apparently there was a tornado seen on highway 26, headed for Grapevine. It was kind of amusing watching my mom and Bob hectically throw everything out of the closet and seeing the cats running around like crazy. I got in the closet for a brief time (my mom made me), but the storm was moving so quickly that it soon passed us and now we are safe. But according to the news, the roof of a house in Southlake came off because of the wind. Yikes.
And lastly, my mom and my sisters have not been on speaking terms for about a week because of ridiculous reasons that I won't go into for fear of embarrassing them (and myself.) But thanks to the seriousness of the storm and the fact that we all care about each other's safety, both sisters called our house to check on us tonight, so I think everything will be fine now. No one was yelling or bringing up the past, so I think that's where it will stay. You see, my family has NEVER been into apologizing. It is not the way we were brought up. So all three of them were basically waiting for an event like tonight to happen that would force them to speak to each other without having to acknowledge that anything bad ever happened. And that's the way it will always be in my family. Instead of bringing up what happened, we talk about something else and just move on. We do not admit we were wrong no matter what if we believe we were in the right. It's annoying, but that's just the way it is. Probably the hardest thing in the world for me is to apologize about something serious. I have issues with being imperfect, so for me to actually admit defeat is extremely difficult. Hopefully I'll get better someday.
Monday, January 26, 2009
School is underway, and it's proving to be difficult. My main worry is now my math class. There is so much homework and the class is so fast-paced. It's intimidating. But it makes me feel better when someone actually stops the teacher to say, "I don't understand what you're doing." Of course, he isn't very encouraging when he replies by lecturing us on the fact that we should already know how to do this and he's not gonna go over it. BUT it's at least nice to know that I'm not the only one that's confused sometimes. And I'm actually doing really well on the homework (all on-line,) but it's the test next week that worries me.
As for my other classes, they seem okay so far. I'm still rusty with my Spanish, and the fact that Jeff, my ex, is unexpectedly in the class with me doesn't help much. It doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would, but that could be because he wasn't in class today so I haven't had to deal with it much. But I'm sure it'll be fine. Just a little awkward. Life is full of awkward moments, so I'll have to tough it out.
I was walking to the library today (that's where I am at the moment) and saw this guy spit on the ground a few yards ahead of me. The act of spitting doesn't really bother me, because sometimes you just need to spit and it's better to do it out in the open than inside a building. But it does bother me when I step in some stranger's saliva that has formed a small puddle on the ground. As I followed in the footsteps of this guy, I tried to identify his spit on the ground so that I could avoid it, but I found it impossible with all the other stains and leaves and whatever else surrounding it. And that got me wondering about how many people's fresh spit I have stepped in without even knowing it happened. And then I got grossed out. I'm a bit germaphobic, so this wasn't very comforting. But I guess they are shoes and shoes are meant to protect your feet from the nasty and painful things on the ground. So I suppose they are only doing their job by stepping in nasty spit.
As for my other classes, they seem okay so far. I'm still rusty with my Spanish, and the fact that Jeff, my ex, is unexpectedly in the class with me doesn't help much. It doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would, but that could be because he wasn't in class today so I haven't had to deal with it much. But I'm sure it'll be fine. Just a little awkward. Life is full of awkward moments, so I'll have to tough it out.
I was walking to the library today (that's where I am at the moment) and saw this guy spit on the ground a few yards ahead of me. The act of spitting doesn't really bother me, because sometimes you just need to spit and it's better to do it out in the open than inside a building. But it does bother me when I step in some stranger's saliva that has formed a small puddle on the ground. As I followed in the footsteps of this guy, I tried to identify his spit on the ground so that I could avoid it, but I found it impossible with all the other stains and leaves and whatever else surrounding it. And that got me wondering about how many people's fresh spit I have stepped in without even knowing it happened. And then I got grossed out. I'm a bit germaphobic, so this wasn't very comforting. But I guess they are shoes and shoes are meant to protect your feet from the nasty and painful things on the ground. So I suppose they are only doing their job by stepping in nasty spit.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
school
My first day of school is tomorrow. Most of you probably don't know that I'm going to TCC this semester. UTA is too expensive without financial aid, so I'm spending another semester at TCC to try to figure something out with my dad and give us a little more time. Luckily, there are still three classes that I can take at TCC that will actually go toward my degree, so only one of them is a throw-away class. So, I decided to make my throw-away class one that I will hopefully enjoy, which is why I'm taking Great Religions of the World online. Oh, and Will is taking it too. So we finally get to be on the same campus at the same time, and now we'll actually learn some of the same things. Of course, it won't always feel like we're in the same class since we don't sit in a room together or anything, but we can help each other out with the material and hold each other accountable for turning in assignments. I think it'll be fun. The other three I'm taking are World Civilization II (also online), Spanish IV, and College Algebra.
I had to go to UTA last week to meet with my advisor and let her know what's going on, and I was surprised at how disappointed I felt that I wouldn't be going there this semester. I really like UTA. I like the campus and the people and the teachers that I've had. I feel like a real college student when I'm there, so apart of me feels like I'm missing out on something by not going there. BUT, as these feelings came over me, I also felt grateful that I won't have to make the 15-20 minute walk to class every morning and afternoon in the cold weather, which also means being able to leave home later and thus sleep a little more in the morning. AND I'm really excited about being with Will at TCC. I've never really had a friend on campus before, let alone a boyfriend. It's nice to see a friendly face when you're walking to class. I walked with Nate to class a few times last semester, but it wasn't until it was almost over and not very often. It'll be nice to see Will's face before Spanish every day.
Speaking of Spanish, I've been away from it for over a year and I'm a little worried about how much my knowledge has diminished. I've been refreshing my memory by glancing over my textbook, but I'm worried that I'll get to class tomorrow and the teacher will refuse to speak English because we should be able to understand Spanish by now. Hopefully it will all come back to me easily. I was pretty good at Spanish in high school and college, but I have no idea how much of it actually stuck with me.
I had to go to UTA last week to meet with my advisor and let her know what's going on, and I was surprised at how disappointed I felt that I wouldn't be going there this semester. I really like UTA. I like the campus and the people and the teachers that I've had. I feel like a real college student when I'm there, so apart of me feels like I'm missing out on something by not going there. BUT, as these feelings came over me, I also felt grateful that I won't have to make the 15-20 minute walk to class every morning and afternoon in the cold weather, which also means being able to leave home later and thus sleep a little more in the morning. AND I'm really excited about being with Will at TCC. I've never really had a friend on campus before, let alone a boyfriend. It's nice to see a friendly face when you're walking to class. I walked with Nate to class a few times last semester, but it wasn't until it was almost over and not very often. It'll be nice to see Will's face before Spanish every day.
Speaking of Spanish, I've been away from it for over a year and I'm a little worried about how much my knowledge has diminished. I've been refreshing my memory by glancing over my textbook, but I'm worried that I'll get to class tomorrow and the teacher will refuse to speak English because we should be able to understand Spanish by now. Hopefully it will all come back to me easily. I was pretty good at Spanish in high school and college, but I have no idea how much of it actually stuck with me.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
a few things...
We're back from Houston! It was a great trip. I'll give a brief rundown of the major things we visited, in order from Saturday to yesterday: Houston Galleria, Downtown Aquarium, NASA Space Center, Kemah Boardwalk, Holocaust Museum, Museum of Natural Science and History, Bodyworlds, Museum of Fine Arts, and the Cockrell Butterfly Exhibit (the restaurants we dined at are excluded from the list.) Phew. That's a lot of places. And they were so much fun. I think my favorite experience was walking along the Kemah Boardwalk and eating dinner at a sushi restaurant named Red. I love the feeling of being on the ocean, and feeling the misty breeze of the water on my skin, and looking at the beautiful view as I eat dinner, and walking hand in hand with Will along the ocean deck, and exploring little shops full of art and silly things. It was a wonderful night. The other places were all great too, of course, especially exploring NASA and walking through Bodyworlds. I wish we were still in Houston. But it is nice to be back, even though I'm home alone for a few days because my parents are out of town.
We decided to buy the first Harry Potter on audio before the trip, since it's about a five hour drive. That was a great decision. I've wanted to re-read that one for awhile, and since Will has always been curious about the series but has never read it, this way we both win. We didn't finish it, of course, but now we'll be able to sort of keep our trip going by listening to it here at home.
Well, today is a special day. Today is the day of birth of a very special lady and friend of mine. She is beautiful, thoughtful, funny, one of the kindest people I have ever met, and an overall incredible woman that has had a huge impact on my life. I am so grateful that I know her and get to spend so much time with her. Happy birthday to the wonderful Nancy! You make all of our worlds a little bit brighter every day.
We decided to buy the first Harry Potter on audio before the trip, since it's about a five hour drive. That was a great decision. I've wanted to re-read that one for awhile, and since Will has always been curious about the series but has never read it, this way we both win. We didn't finish it, of course, but now we'll be able to sort of keep our trip going by listening to it here at home.
Well, today is a special day. Today is the day of birth of a very special lady and friend of mine. She is beautiful, thoughtful, funny, one of the kindest people I have ever met, and an overall incredible woman that has had a huge impact on my life. I am so grateful that I know her and get to spend so much time with her. Happy birthday to the wonderful Nancy! You make all of our worlds a little bit brighter every day.
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