I keep forgetting to post

I had written a substantial amount, and my Blogger app decided to close. The gist was that this blog may take a hiatus until August when I go back to school. I just keep forgetting to post because I'm not on the internet as much over the summer as I am up at school. We'll see.

I Get to See My Boy in a Week!

http://youtu.be/h-LbvFckptY

(Hopefully. I requested the days off, but won't find out til Friday if I'm actually working or not...)

Second Day of Work

I really enjoy my work that I've done thus far. (I'm mostly joking because I've only had 6 hours of working and most of it was paperwork and watching instructional videos.) I got to reprice some merch and organize some things and learn how to work the register and the layout of the store.

This is my least favorite part of learning something new: when it's still new. I like knowing things, not learning them. If that makes any sense whatsoever. Like with fencing. It was fun learning the very basics because I was so excited just to do anything with fencing. But then, once we got into the more advanced stuff, I became super frustrated that I wasn't able to do all of it yet. Now that I'm going into my third year of fencing, I feel so much more comfortable with it and I have fun doing it.

I like this job more than my other two real jobs already. I think I have the people skills for retail more than food service. And I like talking to the little kids and making connections with them. Only problem is actually talking with them. A lot of them just clam up when you ask them a question. And I find it easy to relate to younger kids because they like a lot of the same things I like. I'm secretly eternally a 7-year-old.

Gymboree!

I had my first day of work at Gymboree at the mall today! It was pretty much just three hours of reading, signing, and watching instructional videos. Pretty meh all around. I'm kinda nervous about this job.

Gymboree is really about customer service. Like, REALLY really. Sure, some companies are like, "Oh yeah, sure, we put the customer first." But Gymboree. Gymboree, man. In their handbook, it says, and I quote (but not really because I read the training guide at 5 this afternoon and it's now 11 at night), "When a customer enters the store, stop whatever task you are doing to welcome them and assist them in any way possible." Like, whoa.

I'm afraid I won't remember everything I need to. I'm supposed to ask open ended questions and not boring questions and greet people by name if I remember it and talk to them about the kids they're shopping for and yada yada yada. First of all, I am terrible at remembering people's names. Like, not even kidding, I suck at it. Unless you have a made a rather huge impact on my life or we have spent extended amounts of time together, I will probably forget your name within a few hours, if not minutes. Second, I'm not really the best at small talk. But even so, I'm not actually supposed to make small talk; I'm supposed to ask them specific questions and provide merchandise that I think will fit their needs. On the up side, I personally think I'm great at talking to young kids. I think it may have to do with how much I used to babysit my cousins and the kids of my dad's coworker and the kids of people at church. I know how to handle kids for short periods of time.

Dog Days of Summer

I've never understood that saying.

It's been rather hot, sunny, and humid here at the campground the past couple of days. It's a nice change from the dreariness of the first 3 or 4 days. I've just finished my Beatles homework for the week and now I'm debating starting my peer review for Technical writing or going up to the camper to get some lunch. I'm probably just gonna go get some lunch, to be honest.

Around 3 o'clock Jess'ca and I are heading out to our friend, Jenny's carnival. It's not really her carnival, but she's been a carny with them for a few years. We went to this carnival last year during the same week. I think it's Reading's "Community Days" or something similar. I asked Victoria if she wanted to meet up, but she left for Puerto Rico this morning. Lucky duck.

It's been really awesome hanging out with my 2nd oldest cousin and his wife and daughter. I didn't even know he existed until I was about 11 years old; he was away at college and didn't come home very often. He has two younger twin brothers (fraternal twins, they're very easy to tell apart) who normally come to the campground, but the older one is working all week and the younger one is spending the week with his girlfriend. I think now that I'm 20, my older cousins feel more comfortable around me. I'm no longer just little Chloe, the youngest of 11 cousins, the annoying one who won't stop talking, the baby. Now I'm 20-year-old Chloe who is an adult and only has 2 years left of college and can have mature conversations and is only a little bit annoying now. It's a nice change.

I got sunburned yesterday. I wore sunscreen all day at the pool and didn't get burned. Then we decided to go to The Green Dragon, a flea/farmer's market near here. I didn't think about putting more sunscreen on because there are canopies and tents everywhere at The Green Dragon. I got burned right on my back where my tank top curves in. It's super aggravating.

Alright. I think I've procrastinated long enough. Time to get some lunch.

Camping (Kinda)

Every year, my family comes to the same campground for the week of the 4th of July, Starlight Camping Resort. I don't know how it's a resort, that's just the name of the place. We've been coming almost as long as I can remember. I think the first time we came here I was 7 years old. Before that, we just went to the high school to watch fireworks or we would visit my grandma. The owner of Starlight, Dave, knows my uncle Barry because my aunt and uncle have a permanent site here and they visit as often as they can. It's a nice campground. Compared to some of the other places I've camped with my parents and sister it is actually a resort. Sure, there always bugs in the showers and there's gravel everywhere, but there's internet by the main office and a really nice pool.

Bein' Busy

It's been a few days since I lasted wrote on here. Whoops. I've been busy with Kristina and volunteering at the library and doing homework and blah blah blah. Tomorrow we leave for Starlight Campground and I'm probably not going to remember to post at all. I have to bring my laptop to do homework, so I should have the capabilities of posting. It's a question of whether or not I remember to post. Yup.

Touring the County

This morning, my mom and I took Jess'ca's Austrian friend, Kristina, to the Harley-Davidson Factory. We were going to go on a tour, so we got there around 10:30. Turned out that the next tour wasn't til 11:45, so we just walked around the adjoining museum and watched a short film about the history of the company. Then we went to Isaac's for lunch in East York. We were going to go the Shoe House, but upon arrival, discovered it was closed. Tonight, we went to Lion's Pride for dinner and then to the Rail Trail. It has been too long since I've been on the Rail Trail. I've forgotten how  much I enjoy riding my bike. Now it's rather late and I have to wake up early to buy my student season tickets for Penn State Football! Woo hoo!

Monsters University Was So Good!

Just got back from the theater with my mom, older sister, and her Austrian friend, Kristina. We went to see Monsters U, the latest in a long line of Disney/Pixar amazingness. My sister had looked up the times online and saw that the film started at 7:20, so we left the house around 6:30, after dinner. The line to get tickets was predictably huge since it's a Sunday evening. I went up to see if the show had sold out and discovered that it didn't start at 7:20, it started at 7:05! The same thing happened to us two weeks ago when my Boy was visiting us and we went to see the new Star Trek. Tonight, we ended up sitting in the second row instead of the first, like with Star Trek, so it wasn't as bad. I had seen this morning that our local movie critic, who's name I don't know, had given MU a bad review. I don't think I've ever seen a good movie review in our paper.... Anyway. The movie was way beyond anything I expected. Sure, parts of it were rather predictable, but there were some pretty great one-liners that I'm sure my sister and I will quote at each other for the rest of the summer. I don't want to give anything away, but just know that pretty much all of the original cast makes appearances in this prequel, even if it's just for a few seconds. Except Boo. She's not in this one. Which just gives me more of a reason to dress up as her for Halloween! So, overall, great movie for the whole family. Go see it. Right. Now.

Yard Sale Is Done (Finally!)

Today was the last day of our yard sale. I've been waking up relatively early the past three days so that I could help set up before 8 am. And yesterday I had to wake up at 6:30 to drive my cousin, Olivia, to swim team practice at the high school! And then I forgot to pick her up until around 9:15. Her practice ended at 9, so it wasn't that bad. And we stopped at Rutter's on the way home and I bought her a doughnut. (<- I had that spelled "donut" but Google thinks it's wrong. Whatever.)

I went out to lunch with my friend, Ken, from high school yesterday. It was cool catching up with him as we haven't had a real conversation is over 2 years. He ended up buying some speakers and a puzzle from our yard sale. Then I took Olivia with me when I went to the high school to swim around 2 o'clock. She's a fish, I swear. After that, I took her and her sister, Kayla, to a local frozen yogurt place and then home because Kayla had a softball game at 6:30.

We went out to dinner last night at a place called Boardwalks. It was okay. I just got a cheeseburger. I didn't like that we were in the very center of the tiny restaurant. There was a row of table along one wall, a row of tables against the other wall, and the six of us at one big table smack-dab in the middle of everyone else. I was very uncomfortable.

I've procrastinated enough this week. Time to do some homework.

Sleepy

Today was.

Worked at the library from 10 to 12.

Picked up yard sale signs from my parents' friends' house.

Went to the grocery store.

Ate lunch.

Swam a bunch.

WORKED ON FREAKING 202C HOMEWORK UNTIL RIGHT NOW.

In between, there was some reading of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, some munching, and some helping set stuff up for the yard sale tomorrow. Now I'm off to slumber-land so as I can wakes up manana at 0730 and help sell things for riddikulusly low prices from our sketchy garage.

Things To Do (Finally!)

Yesterday, I started my volunteer work at the library in my town. It was surprisingly hectic. The guy I was shadowing, Jerry, said it's usually Monday mornings and Friday evenings that are the busiest. I guess that makes sense. I now know how to check books in and out at the circulation desk, where to put stuff once it's checked back in, how to look up people's information if they don't have their card, how to put money on people's accounts so they can print of pay fines, and how to use the cash register for teh monies. I'll probably only be volunteering three days a week for two hours each day. It's not a lot, but it's enough to keep me from dying of boredom.

I also went to the high school pool again yesterday. Depending on the weather, I might pack my lunch so I can just chill in the park for an hour between when I finish at the library and when open swim starts. But only if it doesn't rain.

Last night, my mom, dad, and I spent a loooooong time pricing and organizing stuff for our yard sale that we're having this week/weekend. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm, if you were wondering. We have way too much stuff. I'm hoping that the stuff we don't sell, we just donate. I really don't want to find places for all the stuff I want to get rid of.

I really need to go get ready and eat breakfast and things now. I have things to do!

En Route to Southampton!

In, like, 6 months, that is. Here is my laziness, in which I link to my other blog on this blog.

Aerospace Anglophile

Enjoy!

Beatlemania Now!

I just got back from a "Summer of Music" (or something or another) concert at Springettsbury township park. (Upon Googling how to spell that, I learned that the township is named after Springett Penn, William Penn's grandson.) The band's name was "Beatlemania Now!" Bet you can't guess which band they cover! They did all of the songs pretty much in the order The Beatles actually recorded them. The concert was from 7 pm to 9 pm, so they could only do the most popular songs. It was a little boring during costume changes, but it was fun and I got to hang out with my parents and enjoy a common interest with them. I recorded bits and pieces of each song and I'm going to compile them for tomorrow's vlog along with some fun facts I've learned in my Beatles class.

In other news, I finally got my clearances to volunteer at the library in town! I start Monday for two hours of training between 10 and 12 in the morning, then again on Tuesday. After that, they're going to try to get me three days a week to be a regular volunteer. I also went to the high school and got a season membership to go to the free swim there. I need to stay in shape for my scuba class in the fall. I'm going to the pool tomorrow to start! It seems as if my boredom will finally be at an end!

Good Decisions

I've decided to get all of my homework for this week done today. Unfortunately, this weeks quiz for my Beatles class doesn't open until Thursday. I took my first unit exam for my Beatles class and did rather well. I've just finished going over this week's lesson. While reading/listening/watching the lesson, I was thinking about how earlier this year, I had to make a decision about which summer General Arts class to take. I am so glad I decided to take this one. Some of my other options were Music in Film, Theater Arts, and Music Theory. I'm sure I would've regretted taking any of those instead of Music 109.

I'm also really happy I decided to take English 202C over the summer. I'm not sure I would be able to handle all of this writing and revising and researching during the fall semester. I feel bad for the kids who'll be taking this class during the semester.

Time Keeps On Slipping (slipping, slipping) Into The Future

So, my Boy is on his way back to his parents' house right now. It seems so strange that what I've been anticipating for weeks has finally passed. I wish he could have stayed longer. But, of course, we live in a world where we have finite resources to fulfill our infinite wants. I was thinking while he and I were eating lunch at a local haunt (Roburrito's) about how in a few hours, I would have to Skype him instead of being able to speak with him in person. And now that's almost a reality. Do other people think about the future as much as I do? Even when I'm greatly enjoying myself, I can't help but think, "This will be a memory sooner than I want." Sometimes, most of the time, I want Time to slow down. I know I often talk about how I can't wait to grow up, graduate from college, live in my own apartment, have a real job, but I also want my memories to stay moments a bit longer. Experiences are great and all, but I wish I could concentrate on the Now instead of the Then. Even now, the middle of June, I'm thinking about how the fall semester will be. The Boy and I were talking about our respective class schedules for the semester and planning when we could possibly hang out or get meals together. I find comfort in having a set schedule. Often, that foresight slips into my mind when I don't want it and I feel this emotion that I am feeling right now. I don't have a name for it.

Busyness

I've been rather busy these past few days. My Boy is here and I have to watch out for him so he doesn't stray. I gave him the Grand Tour of Red Lion and part of York yesterday. We went and saw the new Star Trek movie with Jess'ca on Friday night. This morning, we went to church and had a "bruncheon" for our pastor's last day. Now we're getting ready for Jess'ca's party. I feel kinda bad that I'm making him do manual labor while he's visiting me. We washed chairs and cleaned out the camper and set up canopies yesterday morning. At least he knows what he's getting into now...

Lazy Post Is Lazy

Got a new phone: Galaxy S 4. It's pretty.

Cleaned a lot today. Finally got all of my college stuff organized and put away. Vacuumed my bedroom. Vacuum and dusted the basement/guestroom.

Started my annual Harry Potter re-read. About to start Chamber of Secrets.

Had lots of homework lately. First draft of my first big English project. Have my first Unit Test for my Beatles class open from Saturday to Tuesday.

My Boy is coming to my house tomorrow to stay til Monday. Pumped.

Now to put away my clean laundry.

I've Said It Before And I'm Saying It Again.

I REALLY STRONGLY DISLIKE MY TECHNICAL WRITING CLASS. I worked on my project for probably a total of 12 hours over the past two days. Now I have to review someone else's by Friday night (which is when my Boy is supposed to arrive) and submit my final draft by Sunday night (which is when Jess'ca's Welcome Home party is). I also have my first unit test for my Beatles class, but that should be okay, as it's not due til Tuesday night. I woke up at 7 today to finish my Polyjuice Potion on Pottermore (it finally worked!!!) and then I had to be at the dermatologist by 9, then Jess'ca and I went shopping, and I had yoga tonight. I'm pooped.

Repetition is the Mother of Perfection

I LOVE my Beatles class.

I strongly dislike my technical writing class.

I got a new phone (finally!). It's a pretty Galaxy S 4. I'm currently trying to figure out to make it stop making noise when I'm texting. I'm also downloading all of the apps I used on my old phone. Which was a Galaxy S....And there was no number. It was the original Galaxy phone.

Dermatologist appointment tomorrow morning at 9 FREAKING IN THE MORNING. Jess'ca is going with me and we're gonna go to Park City Mall afterwards to buy clothes for her since she only brought two suitcases home from Austria. And our aunt might be working, so we may be able to say hi to her. And I'm gonna get Starbucks. COFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Jess'ca Is Back!

We picked up my big sister, Jessica, from Newark Airport today! She's been in Austria since September, teaching English to secondary school kids in Graz. It was a long drive to the airport and then we had to wait about 45 minutes for her to get through customs and get her bags and such. Then we stopped in Allentown on the way home, since a lot of my dad's family lives there. We went to our grandparents' house and two of our uncles and one of our aunts stopped by. We went out to dinner with our grandparents, then hit the road again. We just got back and now my mom is yelling for me to come help unload Jess'ca's stuff from the van.

Short Post

Had busy, but not too busy, day today. Went to church, which is now at 9 am instead of 10:45 am. Perused teh interwebs for a while. Started reading Dash and Lily's Book of Dares which is a really good book, as it turns out. Had choir rehearsal for the York County Senior Honors Choir Alumni Choir from 1:30 to 3:30. Came back home. Read the book some more. "Did some homework." Went to the York County Honors Choirs Season Finale Gala at Central. Came home. Read more and ate a Drumstick ice cream cone thing. Actually did my homework. Now imma go to bed because we're driving to Newark to get my sistah from the airport manana.

Ize Bin Bizy

I'm so tired right now. I know I haven't posted for the past few days. Get over it. I just forgot on Thursday. On Friday, I had to drive my 12-year-old cousin to school then go to the grocery store. Then I got distracted by the game Plague Inc. for about 4 hours. Then I had to do homework for 3 hours. Then I went to a graduation party. Today, I woke up at 5:45, got on a bus at 6:30, and made my way to NYC to see Mamma Mia with my high school's choir. As soon as I got back, at, like, 9, I did more homework which I've just finished. Now I'm going to read my friend's blog post and go to bed.

I Don't Like The Electoral College

That's pretty much it. I remember when I was doing research for my speech about Third Parties and there was a whole bunch of stuff about the Electoral College and how much it sucks. I just watched the Crash Course US History video about the Constitution, and John Green says he also dislikes the Electoral College. I mean, it made sense back in the 17 and 18 hundreds, but nowadays, the majority of people are educated enough to make their own decisions about who they want the president to be.

Annoying Cousin Is Annoying

My 11-turning-12-year-old cousin is here right now. She and her sister were dropped off by their dad around 5:30. The elder cousin had marching band practice from 6 to 9, so I had to drive her over to the high school earlier. The younger and I decided to watch Captain America. But then, she decided that she didn't want to watch the movie anymore, she wanted to play video games. I wanted to watch the movie, so I said no. Then she griped and moaned and complained for the rest of the movie. I told her she could go somewhere else if she didn't want to watch the movie. She decided to start singing to annoy me.

I just want her to grow up. I remember when it used to be her sister that my sister and I couldn't stand. That was back before she was, like, 5 years old and her sister was 8. Now, she thinks she's the center of the universe. If you don't want what she wants, you're wrong. I'm anxious for her going to junior high next year. She's going to get the reality check of her life.

Unexpectedly Decent Day

Happy Memorial Day to all of you United States-ians! This was the first time in years that my family didn't go to the parade downtown! Instead, we went to Susquehanna River, parts of which are only 20 minutes from my house. But the other people we went with wanted to drive 45 minutes to a different part. Whatever. I was kind of dreading today because I knew that my best friend had to work, so it was me, my parents, my best friend's brother and parents, and another friend of mine from high school who's a year younger, her parents, and her half-brother. I thought it was going to be totally awkward, but it was actually a lot of fun! I've never been on the river with other people in other boats before. Usually, it's just my family and whoever we bring along to go out on our boat. I also unexpectedly got to see two of my friends whom I probably haven't seen for the better part of 6 years. So, while I only got 6 hours of sleep last night, it was a good day.

Are These Emotions or Hormones?: A Story of a No-Longer-A-Teenage Girl

I feel angry right now. I'm not sure why. I'm just pissed off at the world. Mostly at my mom. And not for any real reason. I feel trapped. I want to talk to somebody, but I don't want to talk to anybody. I want to go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow morning and it's 2018 and I have an awesome job that I love and a cute little apartment in LA with my boyfriend and we have dogs and a cat and some fish and a view of the sunset over the Pacific through our tiny windows. I want to be responsible for myself. I want to have real choices. I want to choose who I spend my time with, not have social interactions thrust upon me by my parents. I hate being an inbetweener. I'm not a child or even a teenager anymore. But I'm not actually an adult yet. I still live with my parents; I'm still almost totally dependent on them for all of my needs. And trust me, I know how "blessed" I am to have grown up in the upper middle class and not to have needed to start working when I was 14 and all that jazz. I'm just ready for the next stage of my life to begin. Huh. I just realized how appropriate my vlog for this week is going to be.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree (So They Say)

Sometimes, it blows me away how similar I am to each of my parents. I'm majoring in engineering, like my dad. I like science and math and working with my hands. I like watching baseball games and rough housing with other kids and boating. As with my mom, I like to read books, any and all. I like to be by myself sometimes and I like cleaning and baking (occasionally). And then, like both of my parents, I like music and dogs and plants and car rides and travelling. I think I'm also a good balance of girl and boy since my sister and I don't have any brothers. Not that I consider myself a tomboy or anything. I just think I'm a girl who's not so girly as to be creepy, but not so tomboy-ish as to be considered "one of the guys." I have a really strange sense of humor that my parents swear I didn't get from them, but who introduced me to Monty Python? Huh? Dad? Huh?

But then, there are other times when I can't even believe I am the product of these two people. I get really frustrated with my mom whenever I talk about living in California when I'm older. She always says that she wants both my sister and I to stay in Pennsylvania, but that's not the life I want. I want to live somewhere where it's warm all the time and the pace of life is a bit slower than here on the East Coast. (Not that this stupid state even touches the Atlantic Ocean...) My mom moved around a lot when she was young due to my grandfather working for the radio company. I think one time she told me she lived in 12 states by the time she was 14, or something like that. My mom likes to take vacations to other places, but she always likes to come back to cozy little southern PA where nothing exciting happens. I want to travel the world, to use a cliche. I want to live and work in England for 2 years. I want to visit Spain for a month. Then I want to live in Cali, where it's only a few hours to Mexico in one direction, and a few hours to the Rocky Mountains in another. Sometimes, I'm jealous of my sister because she's living in Austria currently. She's been there since September and she's coming home in just over 2 weeks. My mom keeps saying how she thinks Jessica is ready to come home, but I wouldn't be so sure. Yeah, maybe she's ready to hear English all around her again, but I think that once she finds a career, she's getting out of PA as fast as she possibly can. Her ideal is to teach German at a high school in New Jersey. But I think she'd be happier if she met a nice Austrian boy and had cute Austrian children and got to speak Austrian German all the time instead of coming back to this country.
Then there's my dad. This is what sparked this whole post. Tonight at dinner, he was talking about what he did throughout the day. I think he said he was a Pep Boys (a car parts shop thing) when he saw two bigger guys with beards sitting together and one was rubbing the other's arm. Then the following dialogue happened:
Dad: It was gross.
Me: What? Why was it gross?
Dad: It's just unnatural!
And that's when I realized that I am not like my dad AT ALL when it comes to political, religious, or life topics. Sure, we might share some personality traits and hobbies, but I could not have more different opinions. First of all, he was assuming that the two men are in a romantic relationship. Maybe they're brothers. Maybe they're good friends and one of them was having a bad day, so the other guy was comforting him. Maybe the one guy's wife died recently and the other guy has known both of them since college and it's just a thing for them to be physical with one another to show their affection. Second of all, I totally support homosexual relationships. Heck, I support any healthy relationship between two adults. I know my dad was raised in a different era or whatever, but it just pisses me off that he's so close-minded when it comes to this stuff. One time, my sister asked my mom what she thought our paternal grandparents would do if one of our cousins came out. My mom said that they should probably just not tell our grandparents. And I agree. My grandparents are from a completely different generation. Like, my grandpa is turning 91 this year. My dad and his three brothers were all brought up very conservative Lutheran Christian and even though my dad now identifies as an Agnostic, I think he still finds it hard to cast away his old beliefs and biases. I just find it strange sometimes that my sister and I (and even our mom) are so alike on an issue on which my dad has the opposite opinion. If two people are in love, nobody else's opinion matters. And I'd rather not have garbage like, "It's unnatural!" spewed where I can hear.
This has been a rant.

It's Raining Outside, On My Face, And In My Heart: A Supernatural Blog Post

I just finished season 5 of SPN last night. I cried twice. nbd. I would say that I've never felt so attached to a tv show, but then I'd be lying. I get super emotionally attached to, like, everything and everyone. So it's fine. But, oh man. I knew Swan Song was going to make me cry just because my [insert adjective that is better than best] friend, Sarah, to whom I always talk about my Supernatural viewings, asked when I was watching it in the following manner: WHEN DO YOU WATCH SWAN SONG. Not even a question mark. That's when you know you will feel all the feels. Luckily, I have Netflix and can just hit "Next Episode." Excuse me while I go watch season 6.

Had A Job Interview

this morning at 10. It was for a grocery store near where I currently reside.

Also, I made a thing:
http://youtu.be/N6bxCbWiEbk

Getting Frustrated Because Nothing

I was driving home from Sam's Club earlier (a giant, bulk grocery store, for those of you who don't know), when I became inexplicably frustrated. I don't even know what I as thinking about when the thought, "I should be in Los Angeles right now" popped into my head. If you've been keeping up to date with this blog, then you'll know what that sentence means and why (sort of) I thought it. Then I had to drive to the Saloon to turn in my application, but it doesn't open until 4-FREAKING-PM. I was there around 2:30. I then drove home and had to unload the heavy, bulky things from the trunk of my car. So, yes. I keep becoming frustrated for really stupid reasons.

Applying For ANOTHER Job

Went out to dinner with my parents to a restaurant in my town called The Great American Saloon. I know a few people who have worked there over the years. I really don't want to serve food again this summer, but they seem to be the only places hiring. Meh.

Busy, But Not Really

I've been rather busy the past few days, but not actually.

By busy, I mean watching Supernatural at an inhuman speed. Like, a few days ago, I was on season 4. I'm now halfway through season 5. It's just SO GOOD. I feel all the feels. And today was my church's talent show, so I had to practice for that. I played my ukulele and sang T Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble (PERIOD)." It was meh. And Friday was pretty busy. I had a lot of chores to do around the house and things. But now I'm finally caught up on Doctor Who, so I get on tumblr again.

Yesterday Was A Strange Day

I actually had things to do yesterday. Like, errands and stuff. I woke up at 8 like always, read my book in bed til 9, showered and got ready and took my medicine I've been on for a week now. I went to Dunkin to get an iced coffee to use up two gift cards that only had a whopping total of $2.29 on them combined. Then I went to the grocery store to recycle some plastic bags and buy milk. I went from there to the UPS store to drop off a package for my dad. I was debating whether or not to stop at home and put the milk away or just go straight to the library. I decided to go straight to the library. When I got there, I got a volunteer application. Side note: turns out you need two background checks to be allowed to volunteer at the library if you're over 18. Anyway. I went back to my car and it decided that it didn't feel like turning on. Called my dad and he said to wait an hour and try again. Luckily, I had my book with me, so I took my milk, my book, and myself and went back into the library. The library people were nice enough to put my milk in their fridge while I waited an hour to try turning my car on again. An hour later, it still didn't turn on. My mom had called me to see what I was doing and I told her the whole situation. She said I could walk down to the high school, where she was subbing yesterday, and get her car keys and drive her van home. So that's what I did. The high school is only a five minute walk down a hill from the library, so it wasn't that bad. But the whole time everything was going on, I felt super dizzy and out of it because of my medication. Then, when I got home, I accidentally put a metal twist-tie in the microwave and it caught on fire. So that was fun. On the plus side, I got to go to yoga last night and skype with my Boy. That made my day a lot better.

Tediousness

I can already tell that I'm going to strongly dislike my English class I'm taking online this summer. It's called English 202C: Technical Writing. Our very first assignment is a worksheet analyzing the effectiveness of technical writings, either a guide, an application, or a booklet. I chose to analyze the guide. It's super boring. It's about how to properly set up a first aid program for a company so they don't get sued or whatever. I have to analyze its effectiveness and conciseness and honest and integrity and the swimsuit competition and blah blah blah blah. I feel like I won't get to the point in my career where I'm going to be writing technical papers. I'm not planning on being a supervisor or lead engineer or anything. I just want to build and test satellites. Is that too much to ask? I mean, I know I'll need this later in my university career, but I don't see it helping me that much in the far future. Luckily, I elected to take this class online, so the professor won't see me roll my eyes every five minutes. I'm also glad I decided to take this class over the summer. I feel so bad for all the other poor Aero kids who are just following the curriculum guide and taking it in the fall semester. This class is going to bore their brains out.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Also known as THE BEST ANIMATED TELEVISION SHOW OF ALL TIME. In my opinion, at least. I just finished rewatching all of seasons 2 and 3. If you don't know, there were only 3 season. The finale was an epic four part episode in which all shit hits the fan and all elements are bent beyond imagination. And I just recently rediscovered that there are books that span the gap between ATLA and LOK (Avatar: The Legend of Korra). And I just discovered for the first time that there is a graphic novel depicting Zuko's time before Aang was freed from the iceberg. Which I just bought on Amazon for 5 bucks. WORTH IT. I mean, I've been obsessed with ATLA since it aired in 2005, but now I'm really immersing myself in the obsession. I think this is what happened with Harry Potter a few years ago...

I'm going to rewatch LOK tomorrow and the rest of this week. Once I get a job, I'm planning on using half of my first paycheck to buy as many of the in between books as I can.

Now I have to go make spaghetti.

I guess I probably should've done some of my class work today....After dinner, then, I suppose.

Adult Conversations With Adults

I hung out with my very good friend, Zach last night after attending my alma mater's band concert. We both know very much about the other's life. We talked about a lot of different topics: people from high school and what they're up to now and all of the accomplishments they've achieved, our respective relationships, our families, how the spring semester went. It was very adult conversation. I mean, Zach and I have always been on pretty much the same maturity level since eighth grade, so our conversations have usually had a bit more depth comparatively. But last night, it seemed a bit different. We're both 20 years old now, his birthday being in January and mine in February. It was the first time I've talked to someone from high school about the concept of marriage. Victoria and I did talk about marriage a bit during finals week, but nothing significant. With Zach last night, it felt real. One thing I said to him was, "We could get married within the next two years and it would be totally socially acceptable." I don't know. Zach just has this way of making me be totally and completely honest. I know I can tell him anything, so I usually end up telling him everything. But the marriage thing. I freaked myself out with that sentence. And now I just keep thinking about it. I'm in a relationship now, so I do have to seriously consider the end goal. I also keep freaking myself out about being in a long distance relationship. I mean, we have been friends since second semester, but I feel like I still don't know him as well as some of my other friends. Zach asked me what I'd get him for his birthday, and I could only tell him his favorite kind of cake and his favorite tv show. But thinking about it now, we have only been together for two weeks. It feels so much longer because I haven't seen him since we Skyped on Wednesday night and I haven't seen him in person since I came home a week and two days ago. I just keep having doubts and I want to talk to him about it, but it doesn't seem like the thing to talk about over text messaging. And that's all we're going to be able to do pretty soon. His job starts tomorrow and it's a normal day job. He wakes up at 5:30 in the morning to go in with his dad and then works all day until, like, 4 pm. If I get the job at Gymboree, I'll probably start work around 3 pm and not get off until the mall closes at 10 pm, which is when he goes to sleep to wake up at 5:30. Gah! So, once I get a job, I'll never even be able to text him except on weekends. I don't like being an adult.

I Miss My Old Summer Vacation

When I was younger, like elementary school younger, my family always took awesome trips during summer vacation. We went to loads of cool places that aren't totally on the other end of the Earth, but just far enough that I never felt like I was still close to home. We went to places like South Carolina, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, and even to Hawaii once. Each place was a brand new experience and I looked forward to our trips very much. The grandest trips of all, of course, were the two times I went to Europe; once with my family to Germany, Austria, and France, and once by myself to Spain. Those two trips were during high school summer vacations. Space Camp in Alabama was another high school summer vacation. But now that I'm in college, I have to have a job and take classes during the summer. I can't go on big trips. Not to mention the financial burden that is college. I'm afraid that my time for travelling is over. I'm afraid I won't get into my study abroad program. And then, even if I do, I won't have enough time to see everything I want to. And if I get an internship for the summer after study abroad, I won't have any time to travel after the semester is over. I'm seeing a bunch of my friends' Facebook uploads about the trips they're on right now and I'm worried that I'll never have that opportunity again. Yes, I know I've traveled more than some people do their entire lives, but I love travelling. I love experiencing new things and making new memories and learning new things. Sometimes, I feel like college is just a restraint from all of that. I'm jealous of all the people that are graduating from college and starting their lives. I want to be able to go where I want and do what I want and be in good company. I guess this post is more like "I'm ready for my real life" than that I want to go back to the old ways. To use a Harry Potter quote, "I've done my waiting. Twelve years of it. In the educational system."

Ready For Routine

I've turned in all my job applications now. I bought my online code for my Beatles class that I'm taking and I can't access my other class until Monday. I'm so ready to have a summer routine. I want to be hired and have school work to do. Ideally, I'll be hired at the Gymboree at the York Galleria and work there Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings and Saturday all day. Then I'll have the mornings, Wednesdays, and Sundays to do school work and hang out and what not. I don't know if I'll take more than one job if they're offered. I mean, money is always a good thing to have, but like my mom said, I need time to do school work and relax and do fun things. Hmmm. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I'll hopefully also join the local gym once I get settled into my job that I'll hopefully get. I'm just tired of waking up in the morning and not really having anything to do. Yesterday and today I had the job search, but tomorrow, the only thing I have planned is going to my high school's band concert.

Applying to ALL the Jobs!

I'm actually going to leave my house today. I swear. I mean, I did leave my house yesterday for quite a while, but that's because I was forced.

I just got an e-mail from Target. "Sorry, we're not hiring you right now." Great. Thanks.

Hopefully today goes better than all of my online applications. I am going to look up which stores have online applications, though. I should probably do that now...

Lazy Lazy Lazy Lazy

That's what I am. Because it's summer vacation and I have NOTHING to do. I've been applying for jobs online and such and watching a lot of Supernatural. But there are no pressing needs. Therefore, I totally forget about writing this blog. Yesterday was another lazy day. I didn't even shower. Shhhhhhhhhh. The only time I left the house was to go see my high school's Madrigal choir perform their yearly "concert." Today isn't much busier. I'm going to a local grocery store to see if they're accepting summer applications. My mom and I are going out to lunch then to my dermatologist appointment in Lancaster. Tonight, we're going to a local church for a yoga class that is taught by my friend's mom. Maybe I'll see if The Boy can Skype tonight. Just so you know, I'm not complaining. My sister is still working full swing in Austria, teaching kids English and such. I know of a lot of people who are still working because their jobs don't have a summer break. I feel lucky that I'm still at that age where I can just have a summer job for three months then quit and no one says anything because that's what a summer job is. Although I'll probably stick with this year's job until Christmas then quit. If I'm studying abroad, that is.

Spring Cleaning!

Today, I reorganized my closet and dresser drawers. Actually, I just rearranged my closet and cleaned out my drawers and closet. But thinking about it now, maybe I should reorganize my drawers. Drawers. Now it doesn't sound like a word in my head. I have three and a half trash bags full of clothes to get rid of/donate/sell. I still need to clean out the bottom of my closet, which I haven't done in years. That's going to be interesting...

I started another blog today. It will be for when I study abroad and is located here. I've only written one post thus far, because, obviously, I'm not in England yet. I'll know for sure on June 15th.

I called my internship recruiter lady today. She said that they found other candidates who are better suited to the internship than I am. So that kinda sucks. But, oh well. I also quit my job today. But I've applied to eight new jobs. I just really don't like working in the food industry. I'm going to try my hand at retail this summer.

I Miss Independence

I know I've only been home for two days, but I already miss school. I miss my room that I half owned for the school year. I miss being able to eat whatever I wanted, whether it be Commons food, delivery, or frozen foods. I miss being able to stay up all hours of the night with people my age. I miss my friends. I miss places that actually stay open past ten at night. I miss being able to walk everywhere I needed to go. I miss not having my parents tell me where to go and what to do and who to talk to. I miss not having to apply to jobs. I miss having actual, productive things to do.

"Home" for a College Kid

I'm home now. And by home, I mean my parents' house.

Home is a confusing term for a kid in college/university. As the old saying goes, "Home is where the heart is."  But where is my heart now? Sure, I grew up in this house; it's where I spent most of my time for the first 18 years of my life. But this house no longer feels as "home" as it once did.

My dorm building at Penn State is one of my homes. Although I've technically lived in two different rooms in the building, I've spent so much time in so many different rooms that I'm comfortable throughout the whole building. Rooms 323 and 206, where I lived with Victoria; the Piano lounge, where I had to go to get internet most of second semester freshman year; my friends' rooms where groups of us would hang out and watch movies and study and complain about life. I'm sure that living there for five semesters makes/will make it count as my home.

If home is where the heart is and my heart is with my boy, then is that my home? I've never been to his parents' house, but hopefully I will visit there sometime this summer. Sure, we've only been together a week, but we're totally comfortable around each other. We've been friends for over a year and a half and close friends for a few months.

What about when I (hopefully) study abroad for the spring 2014 semester? What if I do end up getting that internship in LA? The apartment I'm planning on getting my senior year? Which of these places is home? Will my parents' house always be "home"? What about when they don't live here anymore? These are the questions of a confused college girl whose brain doesn't know what to do now that the semester is over and her online classes don't start until next week.

Done My Sophomore Year of College

I had my last final today at 8 am. It was probably the hardest one. It was also my Spanish class. Tell me how that makes sense...

I also finally got to season 4 of Supernatural today! Yay, Misha Collins! I'm super tired. I packed up my car with most of my stuff so that it doesn't take so long to pack my parents' van tomorrow morning. I'm excited to go home. This semester went really quickly. But now my brain doesn't know what to do. I've been studying so hard these past few weeks (that might be a lie, I'm not sure) so now that I've nothing to do, my brain is just like meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh.

This is how I feel about finals:

http://youtu.be/lDK9QqIzhwk

2 Down, 4 To Go

I had my first two exams today. The first one went really well. I'll be surprised if I don't get at least a high 90. There were bonus questions and I'm pretty sure I got them right, so I may even have gotten over 100%, which would be awesome and help my grade in that class. The second exam wasn't as good. I felt pretty good about it, but I finished in an hour and 6 minutes. When I turned it in, my professor said, "You're done already? Impressive," which doesn't bode well for that grade. Oh well. I think my cold is getting better. I hope. I'm meeting up with my dynamics professor tomorrow morning at 9 to go over the practice exams. Tonight is Late Night at the Commons, which just means that everyone who has a meal plan can get free brunch from 10 to midnight. My group of friends is going over around 10:30. I really need to study for dynamics. I've done two practice problems in the past 2 hours. It's not pretty. I just can't mentally bring myself to start the next problem. On the plus side, my "Oldies But Goodies" playlist on Spotify is becoming increasingly awesome as the night goes on. I only have my E Mch 316 exam tomorrow at 2:30. I have to write an equation sheet for that. And we get to play with puppies tomorrow at 11! So excite!

Done Studying

For today. I have my first exam tomorrow at 8, then the next at 2:30. I feel pretty good about these two exams. I'm doing decently in both classes and got 90's of sorts on all of the midterms for these classes. Tomorrow, I will start studying for dynamics. Blech.

This Counts as the 27th

Had a pretty typical Saturday. Woke up, did laundry, washed half of my dishes. The fencing picnic was from 11:30 to 3. I climbed some trees, ate good food, had good company. I studied thermo for a bit, then accidentally took a nap. Then I was distracted by the internet. I went to my friend, Josh's room to watch Doctor Who (which was such a good episode!). Oh, and Josh and I are in a relationship now. So. Yeah. That's a thing.

Dyed My Hair

My friend Cassie helped me dye my gross blonde strip in my hair bright red. It's pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Then she curled my hair into adorable ringlets. It's a good time. Going to Chili's for dinner tonight. It's good to be done with classes. Now only to ace all 6 of my finals next week....

Last Day of Fencing

I just got back to my dorm room after my last fencing practice (probably) ever! I won't have time to fence next year because of Lunar Lion and I'm going to try to actually be involved in AIAA next semester. I'll miss my friends and the room and the fun times and the actual fencing, but I won't miss the disappointment, the crying, the subtle rivalries, or the fee. I hope my friends from fencing will still want to hang out with me next year. I feel like we've gotten pretty close this year/semester. Tomorrow is my last day of classes! Woo hoo! Then my friend Cassie is dying my strip of hair red and I'm going to Chili's for dinner!

Long Day

Just got back to my dorm. I was hanging out with some people after fencing practice. And by some people, I mean a person.

My speech went well this morning. My professor said it was pretty much exactly what he was looking for in an epideictic speech even if he didn't know who John Green is. And my review in E Mch 315 was fine, I guess. I accidentally took a two hour nap today. I think I ate bad Chinese food for lunch and my stomach just wasn't feeling right. I watched the new Game of Thrones episode. I love Daenerys. Time to sleep.

Bad Exams

I got my dynamics exam back today. I got a 60%. That's the worst exam score I've had all semester. The previous record holder was a 77%. That was also a dynamics exam.

Everyone's always saying how in the long run, one exam score doesn't matter. But it does. It really does. One exam could be the difference between getting a C+ or a B- in that class. And then getting a C+ or B- could be the difference between having a 3.00 GPA or a 2.98 GPA. And that may not seem very bad to people who aren't in college yet, but trust me. When you go to apply for internships and the requirements include a 3.00 GPA, having a 2.98 can really knock you down.

I just really want to have above a 3.00 GPA. It would make me feel so much better about myself.

And don't tell me I should have studied more. Number 1: Yes, I know. Number 2: You tell me how you study for a dynamics exam.

I have other homework to do besides studying for stupid exam that is a week and a half before finals.

Exhaustion

I am exhausted.

This morning, I woke up at 7:15 to meet the fencing club kids at a classroom building by 8. My car proceeded to get lost. We went to this cool high ropes course called Vertical Adventures. It was a good time. I was on a team with my friends Dan, Cassie, Kaley, Heather, Evan, and Albert. I got frustrated a few times, but we made it through alright. The best part was the end when we got to jump off a platform 40 feet in the air and repel down to the ground. Here is a picture of the course:

It was freaking cold. And it's April. How does that work?

Then after the ropes course, a few of us had to rush back to campus for the saber tournament. I fenced saber. I got last. I don't fence saber.

I got back to my room and showered and took a nap. I ate dinner and did some math homework. Now I'm just procrastinating doing more homework. I have a math quiz tomorrow and a speech on Tuesday and difficult homework due Tuesday and an exam Thursday.Finals are next week. GAH.

Dog Sees God

Leaving for LVC in about an hour! Katelyn and I are going to see Matt in a play. It's called "Dog Sees God," hence the title. I'm very much looking forward to it. And seeing all the cool kids at LVC. Kate's staying the rest of the weekend, but I'm coming back tomorrow because I have things to do. And I'm glad to be getting away from Penn State during Blue and White weekend. Hopefully I'll see less drunk people...

Die Zauberflote (with appropriate accents and such)

Victoria and I just got back from seeing The Magic Flute, an opera written by Mozart and some other guy whose name I can't remember at the mo. I'm super tired because I woke up at 7 today to get to my 8 am class. I'm going to bed now.

Time with Nothing

Today, I had four classes. Then I had nothing. This was not an ideal situation for me. I need to be busy to be productive. If I don't have any pressing needs, I won't do anything at all. I almost overcame that today, though. I got back from class and was so tired that I decided to take a nap. That was nice. Then I actually worked on some homework that is due Friday. I didn't get very far. I soon gave up and decided to just read my book. Then, while eating a sandwich for dinner, I watched an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Then I went over to my friend's room to watch a movie and study for a quiz that I have tomorrow morning. I may actually have some free time tomorrow after meeting with my homework group since we only have 9 homework problems collectively in the two classes we all have. I should probably start my speech for public speaking. I'm presenting on Tuesday. Meh.

New Favorite Video

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=270442769753174

Just so you know ahead of time, this is a video of an Indian elephant playing at the beach. It may be in the top 5 most adorable things I've ever seen. But then again, I love elephants...

Unprepared

I am so unprepared for my exam tomorrow night. I still have to finish other homework and I have a Lunar Lion meeting at which I have to talk about a thing I designed over the weekend. Meh.

I Love My Huge School

I love going to Penn State.

That's it. That's all this whole post is going to be about. Just warning you ahead of time.

Last night, I went to our student union building, called the Hub, with a group of my friends from my dorm (plus others that we're just friends with that don't live in our dorm). We left our building around 6:30 and got the Hub around 6:45. Yes. It takes that long to walk halfway across campus. And we were walking rather slowly, so yeah. We were the first ones there. Some of the kids hadn't had dinner, so they went downstairs to the Burger King and got foods. I waited with my friends Mike and Erinn where we thought the line would start and then everyone came up around 7:15. We were waiting in line for 3 hours. To see Bo Burnham. It was so worth it.

SolidWorks

I just got back to my dorm after spending 5 hours working on a cryocart on SolidWorks for Lunar Lion. I can't see straight or think about numbers. We're leaving soon to get in line to see Bo Burnham at the Hub. It doesn't start til 10, but everyone is super paranoid about getting a seat. I guess I'll just take my math homework with me...

Interview

Just finished my third interview with a company. It was supposed to be a video call, but I had to actually use my phone for the audio and my computer for the video instead of how normal people just use their computer. Then my phone couldn't get a signal at my desk because Penn State likes building dorms out of cement. I had to sit on my bed by the window and just have a phone interview. On the plus side, I think it went pretty well. I'm a personable girl when I have to be. The rest of the time, I just lay in bed and watch Doctor Who or read Harry Potter. I really hope I get this internship. It's in the state that I want to be in and it deals with a part of aerospace that I would love to have experience in (ie building satellites and things). Now off to Inferno's for the pizza party to celebrate Yuri Gagarin Day!

Short Blog

Because bioabkjaefb hjl.vabuil;WERHI;werni;fab ;vfdblUIP;AHUI;AERBUI;GARBUI;hui;ah;isgbhjgfui;era

Stupid Computers

Sometimes, I strongly dislike my laptop. It's slow, it's old, and it's almost out of memory. Again. I use an external hard drive now for my iTunes and my pictures and tv shows and things. But, for Lunar Lion, we have to use this thing called OneNote in Microsoft Office, and my computer really doesn't like opening it. For example, there is a PowerPoint on the OneNote that I'm supposed to be looking over, but my computer refuses to let me see the slides. It's very frustrating.

Networking

Today, the one club I'm in, Lunar Lion, had a Q&A with NASA flight director David Korth. It was pretty cool. His job seems really interesting, if not exactly what I'm into myself. And it's always good to "network" as the WEP and SWE women say. Maybe, some day, I'll be at NASA and he'll be there and I can remind him that he answered my question as this lunch thing and then I'll get a job. Yeah. Ok.

Still waiting to hear back from Booz Allen Hamilton about the internship I interviewed for last week. *Sigh* I hope I get it. I really want to go to California now.

My Mind

Sometimes, I get in weird moods.

Like, after reading a book or watching a movie or just randomly out-of-the-blue. I don't know how to describe it. It's just a weird mood.

This is the first time it's happened in a while. It used to happen more often when I was younger. Kind of like how deja vu happened to me everyday when I was in elementary school and now it only happens about once a month.

Victoria and I just watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I got the dvd for Easter. I've read the book twice, but it didn't make me feel this way.

It's similar to what Ze Franks calls the Everything Thing. I just rewatched that video and it made me feel a little bit better. Not that the mood I'm in is a bad thing. According to Ze, it happens to everyone.

It's kind of like when you're with a group of friends and you look around and you think, "Do I even really know these people?" And then you freak yourself out because if you don't know your friends, does that mean that nobody knows you? Does anybody know anyone? Can we even know ourselves?

It's kind of like one of my favorite books, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. The main character, Colin, is so obsessed with "mattering" that he doesn't realize that it only matters that he matters to the that matter to him. MATTER MATTER. Now it doesn't sound like a word.

And sometimes I think about how everything is pointless. In the end, all we are are a miracle of protons, electrons, and neutrons that happened to be in the right place at the right time. We're not anything special, not to the Universe. The Universe doesn't care about us, about humans. The Universe just wants to be noticed. I think that may also be from a John Green book. I'm not sure.

Why am I in college? To get a good job. Why do I want a good job? So that my kids can go to college. Why do I want my kids to go to college? So that one day, they can get good jobs and send their kids to college so they can get good jobs and send their kids to college. It's a never ending chain of wanting what's "best" for the next generation. When does it end? When times ends. We humans will try our hardest to stay the way we are (alive) up until the very last second of everything.

And now I'm just thinking how in a year, 5 years, 20 years, no one will know about this blog. Maybe I'll have removed it from Blogger. Maybe I just won't remember I started it. And in 100, 200 years, no one will remember who we are, what we're doing. Only the famous and infamous will be remembered by the next generations. George Washington, King Tut, Jesus of Nazareth. Adolf Hitler, Attila the Hun, Napoleon Bonaparte. People who did things, who are remembered.

What does it matter how I do on my mechanics quiz tomorrow or my Spanish exam on Friday? Those are just two teeny tiny challenges I'll have faced in my life. They won't mean much. Maybe a higher GPA or higher self-confidence if I do well. But it won't matter to anyone else. No employer will check every grade I've ever gotten, no peer will know my whole history.

That may be the root, the cause. I want someone to know me. To really  know me. My roommate knows one me, my friends from high school, another. My classmates don't even know the bare minimum of who I am as a person. Do I even know myself? Being 20 is weird. I just want to be who I am and be done with it.

I Read a Book Today

Not just read it, though. Began it, then finished it. In one day. In probably about 6 hours. What is this amazing book, you may ask? Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Now, before you go jumping to conclusions and think, "Ew. That sounds like a cheesy tween "romance" novel," it's not. It is so not.

Perkins' first book, Anna and the French Kiss, was and is one of my favorite books of all time. Maureen Johnson, whom I trust wholly on the subject of books, said to "date this book." It makes me feel all the feels and is totally satisfying and it really feels like I'm the character and I'm falling in love with the boy and I'm going to school in Paris. It's amazing.

So, obviously, BND is exactly the same. It did feel a tad slower and I hated the main character a little bit more, but oh my goodness. The boy is perfect. I want that boy. And I probably liked Lola a bit less than Anna because, well, originally, I was going to say because I can relate to Lola more, but thinking about their situations, I think I've been in Anna's position more often. So, I'm not sure. I think Lola made some super bad decisions and that her story would have been more satisfying if some things had happened earlier in the story. If you can't tell, I'm trying to not give any spoilers if you plan on reading these books. And you should. You should read these books.

Perkins' next book, Isla and the Happily Ever After comes out September 17th of this year, if you just want the whole trilogy in one shot. The books are getting new covers, too. I might just buy the box set (if there is one) so that I can display them prettily.

A Day of Nothing

Woke up this morning at 8, put my laundry in the washer, read my book, put my laundry in the dryer, ate breakfast, put away my laundry, showered, and now I'm on the internet. I should probably do my math homework or my pre-lab, but I just don't have the motivation.

In other news, DOCTOR WHO IS ON TONIGHT. Not that I'm excited or anything. And there's a Hub dance tonight with the swing dance club, so that's fun.

Victoria's boyfriend, Mike is here. We usually go out for dinner when he's here. Maybe we'll go to Are U Hungry.

I have a lot of books to read. Like, fun books. I just got Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, the same lady who wrote Anna and the French Kiss. And I bought The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith because it was Kayley Hyde's list of books she read. And I finally got the book that my sister wanted to give me for  my birthday two months ago. It's not really the genre I usually read. It's called The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America by Bill Bryson. I think Jess'ca said it's really funny. I'll give it a try after I finish my current book, Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. So many books, so little time.

Good Advice

http://blog.chegg.com/2013/04/02/19-things-to-stop-doing-in-your-20s/

Thursday

Missed my blog yesterday. I had the tab open and everything. But then, I was super busy. I left my dorm for class around 7:45 and came back after my second class around 11:15. My roommate was still asleep, so I didn't really want to do anything in my dorm room, so I grabbed all of my homework and went down to a cafe on College Ave called Irving's. I got down there around 11:45. I was there doing homework until around 3:30 when I came back to my room to grab my choir stuff. I went to choir, then straight to Lunar Lion at 5:30, then back to Irving's to help my friend, Mike, with a paper. Then Mike, two of my friends we had been working on homework with earlier, two of Mike's friends, and I went to Chili's for dinner. I finally came back to my dorm around 8:30, then left to go to The Deli with the fencing club around 9:30. It was a super long day.

Habits That Form

I've been living on tumblr lately. It's not healthy. I just scroll through my dashboard, reblogging anything that tickles my fancy. And during class, too. Why can't I update this blog like that? I forgot to blog yesterday. And a few days before that, too.

I have some braincrack about a Les Mis fanfic that I really want to write. Well, more like three different-ish Les Mis fanfics. One that is just a modernized adaptation of the main storylines, one that is just Cosette in college in modern times, and one about Marius in college in modern times. I just don't have the motivation to start because I know I won't finish. Somebody motivate me. I'll do it if I have deadlines and know someone else will critique it.

I technically don't have anything to do tonight, so I'm going to take out my trash and recyclables and clean a bit and wash my dishes. I should probably also do my Spanish homeworks that are due Friday since they're bound to be the easiest homework. And I should start to make notecards for the International Phonetic Alphabet for my exam next week. I now have something in every class on Friday. Homeworks due in Spanish, homework for thermodynamics, the normal homework that's due every Friday for dynamics, and a quiz in differential equations.

Luckily, after all of that, I'm hanging out with my friend, Josh, and we're gonna get dinner and watch the movie "Corky Romano" because that's his favorite and I've never seen it. Then Saturday, my roommate's boyfriend will be here and we're gonna go to the student union and see "Identity Thief" and then there's swing dancing after that. I don't have anything planned for Sunday. I'll probably do my math homework then. It's gonna be a great weekend.

UPDATE: I've opened a fanfic(dot)net account! This is a thing!

April's Fool

April Fools Day is today if you didn't know.

I've pranked my roommate twice. It'll be three times once she gets back from the library.

Mwahahahaha

So.

Today is also the application deadline for study abroad spring 2014. Which is what I'm applying for. I've had the application filled out and submitted for about a month. The only thing I've needed for a while now was the letter of recommendation from a professor. I asked my math professor from last semester if he would write it (since he loves me) and he said yeah sure, but remind him when it gets closer to the deadline. So, I stopped by his office a couple of weeks ago to remind him. He was grading midterms with his grader, so he told me to e-mail him with my name and "recommendation letter" in all caps in the subject line. I did that when I got back to my dorm after classes that day.

Then again two weeks ago.


Then again last week.


Then again this morning.


Then again at 8 pm.


Then again at 8:20 along with the words "DUE TODAY" at the end.


That got his attention. But only enough for him to reply with "I don't know where to send it."

I replied, "It sent you an e-mail when I first requested you on the application. It should say something about Global Programs in the subject line. I don't know the exact details."

To which he replied, "I don't have an e-mail from them."

I replied, "Did you check both of your e-mail addresses?"

He replied, "Yes. Still nothing."

Me: "I've asked my other professor who wrote one how he submitted it. And sorry for freaking out earlier."

Him: "That's okay. I'm sure the deadline is just for the students. And thanks for the ALL CAPS. Otherwise, I wouldn't notice it."

So, the other professor got back to me and said he received an e-mail with an ID and instructions on how to log in. He also sent me the url of the form to fill out. I forwarded that message to the first professor. I am literally praying that either 1) the deadline is actually just so the students fill out the application by then or 2) my professor figures out how to do the rec letter.

I am almost crying. So, to distract myself, I'm going to eat a chocolate bunny and watch the Game of Thrones season 3 premiere that I missed last night.

Back in State College

Happy Easter. So. Tired. I know I missed yesterday, but tomorrow starts BEDA, so yeah.

Home Today

I should have left to go home by now. But my car won't start. Again.

Luckily, my friend from home, Kate, has her car up at school and can take me home tonight. Otherwise, my mom was going to have to drive me home and it's a 2 and 1/2 hour drive between. I would've driven my mom's van on the return trip.

Now I have to pack and decide what all I can actually take with me, now that I can't just pile stuff in my car.

Kinda Forgot

It has been a super busy day. I've only just gotten back from the movie theater. I saw The Host with three other girls at 9:20, because State College can't wait for midnight, apparently.

It Never Stops

I thought most of my stress would be dissipated by this week.

Nope.

I feel like I have more work this week than last week, even though I don't have any exams or quizzes this week. I think it's just more homework. I have homework due tomorrow that, for all intents and purposes, I haven't started. And I just found out that, besides my dynamics homework that is due every Friday, I also have thermo homework due then, too. What the poop.

In better news, I'm meeting up with my friend to get dinner then watch the 2005 animated movie Robots, starring Ewan McGregor and Robin Williams and Amanda Bynes. And I have an interview tomorrow with a company. And I'm going to see the new movie The Host tomorrow night. And I'm going home this weekend for Easter.

I guess there are more goods than bads, but the bads just seem to weigh so much more on me.

Marriage Equality and Prop 8

From Facebook:

Me: *Posts picture comparing racism to marriage inequality* "One day we will look back on these (1 man + 1 woman = marriage, God has RULED on marriage, Judge mocks God SHAME), the same we look back on these (We won't go to school with negroes, Strike against integration!)"Mormon friend's awesome dad: "This is a very complicated issue, and one filled with potential unforeseen circumstances. I think that because homosexual behavior is viewed by many religions as sinful, it will never attain the status of racial equality. However, I do think gay marriage will eventually become the law of the land and people will have to deal with it, especially when it comes to discrimination."
Tom: No, it is a religious issue more than anything else, I will never look upon it on the same scale as racism because I am a Catholic and the bible strikes homosexual acts and marriage as sins."
Me: [Mormon friend's dad], I agree with your comment. Tom, it's okay that you think that, but I disagree. The Supreme Court isn't talking about marriage in a religious sense, mostly in a legal sense. Just because people get "married" doesn't mean it has the same meaning to them as it does to you. They are mostly talking about rights people have for taxes and housing and insurance. For example, let's say there is a very elderly gay couple. One of them is on the brink of death in the hospital, but their partner wouldn't be allowed to visit them if they weren't family ie married. It's totally unfair. Gay people don't have to get married in churches and churches won't be forced to let people marry there. That being said, if there is a gay, Christian couple, it will be up to their church whether or not to let them get married in the sanctuary or chapel or whatever. To some gay people, I'm sure it is a matter of religion. Like for me, getting married will be a religious act, becoming "one person" under God. And then for others, like agnostics or atheists, and probably a lot of gay people, the act of marriage is just a public recognition of their love for each other. If you have more thoughts on this subject, Tom, I would actually really like to hear them. "

So, that's how I feel about that. 

That was an interesting 3 and 1/2 days

I just finished my speech for tomorrow. We'll see how this goes. I'm usually pretty good at improv.

Snowed in aka SACC: Day 2

We're snowed in at a Days Inn in Virginia. This sucks. I fenced pretty well today, though. Won a bunch of bouts. But lost the most important one 0-5. It was terrible. We're missing class tomorrow. And I have lab. But not any more. GAH

SACC: Day 1

Southern Atlantic Conference Championships is going well. Today is the men's day and tomorrow, the women's. Saber just started. Foil and epee are doing direct eliminations right now, or "DE's." It's pretty funny. We just happened to pick the spot to set out stuff right beside the strip the men's foil has been on for all but one bout. It's pretty great. That means I get to be lazy and not have to walk around to watch them fence. And I can just sit here and pretend to watch while I actually do homework. It's a good time. We're going to Olive Garden tonight for dinner once all the guys are done fencing. I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully, we'll get to go to bed earlier tonight. It took us for-freaking-ever to get down to Williamsburg. We didn't get to bed until around 1 am this morning and then we had to wake up at 6:30 am to get to the gym for registration by 7:30. We girls went to a Wawa food market to get lunch for everyone. It was the first time I've ever seen a Wawa without a gas station part. Now men's foil is fencing on the strip right in front of me again, so I'm gonna watch and cheer and then work on my speech that I was gonna finish yesterday, but, things.

The Week from Hell is Over

Finally.

Today, I just have my Spanish Linguistics exam at 10, then I'm pretty much home free. We're leaving for SACC (Southern Atlantic Conference Championship)(fencing) around 5 tonight. It's a 5 and 3/4 hours drive, so that'll be fun. But it will actually be fun. I always think the car rides to and from places are the best part of any trip. I'm in a really good car, too. Not, like, the type of car it is, but who's going to be in it. It's me, Cassie, Elise, Dan, James, Ankit, and Adam. I think that's it......Whatever.

Now I'm going to eat breakfast and have an awesome day.

Actually Embarrassing

So, here is a conversation that happened today at the career fair:

Recruiter: Hi! 
Me: Hi! *Gives shpeel about self*
Recruiter: What do you know about (insert company name here)?
Me: You checked the "Aerospace Engineering" box on majors you were looking for.
Recruiter:...
Me:...
Recruiter: Well, I'll take your resume, but without knowing anything about our company, I can't really help you. (While actually thinking, "There is no way we'd hire someone who couldn't even take the time to look up what we do.")
Me: *Hands resume over with completely red face*
Recruiter:...
Me: Have a good day! *Runs away and leaves the Career Fair because she's so embarrassed*

So, yeah. That happened. It was so terrible. My face was hot and, I'm pretty sure, bright red. That hasn't happened in a while. The other companies I talked to were okay. Lockheed-Martin seemed interested and told me that I should definitely apply online. And SpaceX wasn't even there! :( I really wanted to talk to them. Oh well.

UP

Currently, I am watching Up with my friends Malorie and Tyler. They're dating. Malorie's roommate was my mentee last semester and this semester, Tyler is my mentee. It's pretty convenient. I'm also researching for my speech and applying to internships that I find through Google. *Sigh* The hard life of an engineer.

In Depth

When I research something, I research it HARD. I'm afraid to start my research for my speech for my public speaking class next week because I know I won't get to bed on time if I start now. But I need to start writing my speech. It's a never ending cycle. I also think this may be the reason I know so many random things. I learn everything I need to, then I keep going until I learn everything there is to know about a subject. I don't know if this is a strength or a weakness...

Muchos Examenes

My quiz went rather well this morning. It was easy. I woke up early to do a practice quiz and I got it completely right except one tiny thing that I didn't think about as I was doing it, but it made sense when I looked at the answer key.

My dynamics exam was okay. It was only 3 questions and my professor looked at it right after I finished. He said it looked pretty good except the last question. I had no idea what I was doing on the third one.

Now, I just watched two more episodes of Supernatural. The first one was a scary-as-heck one about a nurse in a prison. The second one was the one where a jinn "grants" Dean his wish of his and Sam's mother never dying. I cried. A lot.

I have to study for my next exam now. My friend, Ken is coming over to my dorm soon so I can help him with the review. I think that's how I learn best: by teaching others how to do it.

TEDxPSU

So, TED is today. I'm on my lunch break right now between noon and 1. We were technically supposed to get free food, but I opted out since I knew the lines would be super long and I live in between the buildings where the talks are and where lunch is being held. The talks have been really awesome so far. Registration was a bit bumpy, but we got through it. The organizers said they would provide breakfast, but all they gave us was donuts. So now I'm trying to catch up to my caffeine quota by drinking Mountain Dew and possibly take a Coke back with me to the talks later. I think I've decided that I'll stay for all of the talks (until 6 tonight), then come back to my room to study instead of going to the after-party for the speakers and organizers and volunteers. I would really like to network with Debbie Sterling, though. She's pretty cool. Maybe I'll see if I can meet her later. Now, to eat.

Satrdy

I had originally written the title as "Strdy" but that looks like "sturdy" and not "Saturday."

I participated in a mini-fencing tournament this morning. I got 7 touches overall. Which isn't great, but hey, I'm not great. It was fun and I got to try some techniques from my lessons. I won't be fencing again until Thursday as tomorrow is TEDxPSU and I'll be at that all day helping out and then Tuesday, I'm going on a choir trip to Jersey Shore, PA. Next weekend is the big regional tournament at William and Mary. No pressure.

I've cancelled all of my plans for the rest of today so that I can study my butt off for my three exams and two quizzes I have next week. I already did my laundry and washed my dishes, so I should be able to devote the rest of today to review. Now to just motivate myself to actually start studying...

Good Advice That I'll Hopefully Take

I went and talked to my academic advisor today. We were just supposed to talk about my study abroad application, but then he asked how I was. So I told him about how stressed out I've been and will be for the next week or so. He told me that should focus on my schoolwork and maybe back out of some of my other commitments. He's probably right. So now I've cancelled all plans for tomorrow except the fencing tournament in the morning. And I'm going to leave TEDxPSU after lunch. Tonight will be my fun night. I'm going swing dancing. But next week is still going to be hell. What with 3 exams, 2 quizzes, a choir trip, the career fair, and a fencing tournament in Virginia. I just want next week to be over.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

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Is the sound that my anxiety makes.

Stolen from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KZ_F9YkB6w

Stressful....day? Week? LIFE?

As the title shows, I'm feeling pretty stressed out. And it's only the third day back from spring break. I have an exam tonight and two homework assignments due Friday. I have to make my vlog tomorrow and I'm going to hear the former Irish President, Mary Robinson, speak tonight. I have to stuff registration packets for TEDx Friday night and I want to go swing dancing after that. I'm going to a fencing tournament Saturday morning, possibly shopping Saturday afternoon, and going to the movies Saturday night. Sunday is TEDxPSU, at which I am a volunteer. All. Day. Long. Monday, I have an exam. Tuesday, I'm going on a choir trip to Jersey Shore Middle School. Tuesday night, I'm supposed to have an exam, but I won't be back from the choir trip, so I have to schedule a make-up exam. Thursday is the Spring Career Fair. Friday, I have an exam. Friday night, the fencing club team leaves for Virginia for the Southern Atlantic Conference Championships. We're there until Sunday evening.

So, yeah. These next two weeks are going to be rather stressful. But that's how I operate. I work well under pressure.

Dropping Eaves

I was walking back from my second class (Mechanical Responses of Engineering Materials) which takes place in a building called Earth and Engineering Sciences, or EES for short, when I overheard a wonderful conversation. Two guys who had had class at the same time as me were having a conversation about what classes they will be scheduling for next semester. They were obviously both juniors because they were talking about Capstone and taking engineering electives. One of them was anxious about finding another class to take in the spring semester, because if he only scheduled the classes he's required to take, he would have 10.5 credits, which would make him a part-time student. He told his friend he was thinking about taking 2 GHAs, which are Penn State's gym classes, because they're usually 1.5 credits each. His friend told him to just take fly fishing because it's a 3 credit GHA and "you get to fish for credit, dude!" But then the main guy said he was thinking about taking archery. He had "done archery in boy scouts when [he] was five, but [he] had no hand-eye coordination back then. Just think bad-ass [he] would be now. [He'd] be like f***ing Legolas!" Yes, this is a direct quote. Yes, I do love nerd boys.

Embarrassing...?

First, an anecdote: Today was a pretty nice day, weather-wise, until around 6:30 when it started to get windy and rainy. I decided to just wear my wool coat and take my umbrella instead of being a smart person and putting on a sweatshirt and my rain jacket. I had a meeting in a classroom building at 8, so I left my dorm around 7:50. I was walking through the quad in my dorm area when I saw my friend, Max. I wasn't going to say hi because we were too far away from each other, but we ended up on paths that intersect. Just as we both got to the intersection, my umbrella blew inside out. Up until this point, Max hadn't seen me but I knew he was himself. When he saw my umbrella malfunction, he turned to me and said, "Hey, wassup?" as he realized who I was, followed immediately by, "Ooooooo! Embarrassing!" meaning my umbrella. At that point, I realized my futile attempt to ward off the mist was never going to work, so I just flipped my umbrella the correct way and closed it and said to Max, "Oh, hey! Yeah...On my way to a meeting in Willard (the classroom building)." He replied, "Alright! Have fun!" And thus ended our brief encounter.

Second, a question: Why is it considered embarrassing for one's umbrella to be blown inside out by wind?

Third, an argument: It is literally just a mechanical failure. Something that is supposed to be one way is shaped by the force of nature to be in a different shape. That's it. I don't understand why our society holds umbrellas in such high esteem. Like, we think 'oh, it must be the person who's holding the umbrella's fault that it turned inside out' or something. It's just an accident. It's nobody's fault but Mother Nature.

Fourth, a counter-argument: But at the same time, it may be considered "embarrassing" because people who are developed enough to use umbrellas should know when it is not okay to use one. Like in windy weather. And usually, when people don't fit into our social norms, we have a tendency to think 'how embarrassing' or 'glad I'm not them!' It's just what we do. So when we see someone's umbrella flip inside out, we automatically go to our prejudgments and assume they are embarrassed or underdeveloped in some way. Or maybe they just made a mistake and mistakes are embarrassing. ( I really didn't know where this post was going until just now.) All our lives, we're taught the contradicting facts that 1) it's okay to make mistakes and 2) only losers or stupid people make mistakes. We're taught perfection is key and if you can't get it on the first try, well, sorry. You're not good enough. And a person using an umbrella in the wind? They're making a stupid mistake and they should feel bad.

Fifth, a solution: Get a stronger umbrella and stop judging people for making mistakes. As the famous Thomas Edison quote goes, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work." Hmmm...I thought that quote was about making mistakes. Oh well.

UPDATE: Vsauce did a cool video that talks about embarrassment a bit! Check it out: http://youtu.be/E4HGfagANiQ

Going Back

To school today.

I played hand bells twice today at church. I had to cover for a lady who couldn't be there for one reason or another. It was alright. I used to play in the children's hand chime choir when I was younger, so I'm decently good at hand bells.

I went to a restaurant in my town called Lion's Pride with my parents, my aunt, and my two cousins in between church services. It was a good time. My 11-year-old cousin has been playing MineCraft nonstop for the past few weeks. She doesn't think it's nerdy. Bless her. And my 14-year-old cousin asked if she could borrow the first Lord of the Rings dvds, so I gave those to her today; The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition. I've raised them well.

My mom helped me find a bunch of stuff in our "college storage room" (aka the old guest/computer room) that belongs to my Korean friend, Sunny. Last year, she gave me a bin of her stuff to bring back to my house since she had to fly back to Korea and couldn't take a lot with her. Then she ended up not coming back last semester because she stayed in Korea to work and stuff. But she's back this semester and I took her tub back to her back in late-January (because I forgot it after winter break), but my dad had consolidated everything in our storage room after I left. But now I've found most of it. Only things we're missing are Ziploc baggies, which my dad probably took down to the kitchen and used, an outlet converter, body wash, and some folders. The last two are pretty easy to replace, but I don't know what to do about the converter.

And now I went and found the plug thingy. It wasn't a converter, just a power strip. But, yeah. I found her stuff now, so that's good.

My mom distracted me with Glee just now.

I have math homework due tomorrow that I haven't actually finished yet. And I forgot about my pre-lab that I have to do for my lab tomorrow so I have to do that, too. And I have an exam on Wednesday that I've yet to study for because I am the biggest procrastinator EVER.

I'm pretty much all packed now except my computer. That's always last. Besides my fish, Keri, who has to have her own spot in my car.

My hair is shorter than it's been in a long time. When I went to get it cut, I just told the lady to do whatever she thought necessary. I think she cut off 4 inches.

Now to take my stuff down to my car so that Katelyn's can go on top since I'm letting her out first before I go to my dorm.