Someone elses insights on traveling

This is the best time in your life to travel carefree. If you wait it’s going to be more complicated financially and emotionally. Now instead of putting on a backpack and heading out the door, I’ve got to cancel leases, forward mail, set up online payment arrangements, sell a ton of stuff, convince my family that I don’t need an MRI “just in case this idea is a sympton of a brain tumor”, and wrangle with complex stuff like dodging the “when are you going to have kids” question.




http://almostfearless.com/
LOVE THIS TRAVEL BLOG. check it out!

High On Nostalgia

Planning this weekend trip to visit Sam was far too easy this time. Usually we have to wade through the "how about this weekend?..nooo im busy" for a few rounds before settling on a mutually acceptable weekend. This time it was one step and bam, weekend planned.

I drove down Friday after work and got in around 7. I hadnt seen Sam since her bday when I visited her which would have been end of November. We got ready and went to the bar with two of her friends and their significant others. I sang karaoke (not well..but check that off my bucket list. Next step- singing it ALONE yikes!) and drank a shit ton of beer which was followed by nagging this girl mercilessly to teach me the steps to a dance she was doing. Minor success. We had such a good time!! Sat we spent the day in bed relaxing and watching movies and talking about anything and everything. It was so refreshing to be in good company and just talk. We watched the SAS video which I have never seen the full way through and reminisced about the trip. Oh and I finally caught one of Whitneys calls from abroad. She is my crazy travel friend who is in a different corner of the world every few weeks lol. She has been in Argentina for a month and is now in South Africa. Every time she calls I miss it and I don't have a way to call her back so I was thrilled that I finally was able to talk to her! She is living the life and I sure am envious! Sat we did dinner and then bar. Sunday was more chatting and family dinner. Her mom made this ridiculous thanksgiving feast which was beyond delicious. The whole weekend was just fantastically fulfilling and refreshing. One of my top trips to WashPA thus far :)

We talked a lot about where we have been and where we are headed, relationships, happiness....deep life things that I dont often have the opportunity to talk about with other friends. She is my favorite person to talk to about such topics and it does the heart good to reunite with her every couple months. I feel blessed to have a friend that fuels my spirit like she does. Thank you Sam :)

Also a highlight...I discovered a new fav song...Third Eye Blind-The Background

I also got inspired by Sams amazingness in life right now (book+ social experiments+ consulting firm=amazingness) and have been re-energized to start some new little projects in life...I'll keep you posted on the results :)

My soul has been nourished!

Minor Gripes

So I recently stumbled upon (or stalked the shit out of) an old sorta friend on facebook. He dated a friend of mine way back when. Now I couldnt help but notice that his new girlfriend has the same name as his old girlfriend...and they were born like 10 days apart, if that. Sorta weird, no?

While stalking I also realized this...putting up pictures on facebook of you and your significant other kissing is totally unnecessary. We get it. Youre in love. You kiss. The end. I dont need to see it but thanks for offering. Its just so totally weird in my opinion...

And finally, why is it that boys in the army (im not hating..props where props are due) get their wonderful girlfriends to buy endless ARMY apparel and sport it feverishly yet no army boyfriend I know of has ever bought and worn apparel from their girlfriends school. So like I went to SU and wore Army shit all the time (and not just at sporting events-it was a totally appropriate gift to get me an army tshirt or something) yet the ex-ass wouldn't be caught DEAD in a syracuse t-shirt. Kinda messed up, no?


Another gripe...while in the tanning bed today (included in my gym membership!? Dont mind if I do!) I grabbed the hand bars because its a stand up bed and it was all greasy!! They clean the beds after every use, pretty religiously, but they don't clean the handles?! Ugh. Gross!

when ive been vs where im going

I also got my transcripts in the mail from SU (had to get them for new job) and I am sooo disappointed in my last semester grades. I was depressed..heartbroken (to put it lightly) and could not WAIT to get out of school so I remembered my grades being not so great. I think I got my grades and left the country and didn't think about them again so seeing them was surprising. My GPA was dramatically lower than it was the other semesters (think .5 lower). I cannot believe I let that whole relationship situation ruin my life so much!! Never again, thats for sure. Lets hope I didnt mess up bad enough that I wont be able to get into grad school.

On a delightful note...my bucket list is finally done! Or as done as it can be at this point in my life. I like to make one of these every now and then to redirect myself and reassure myself that I am headed somewhere in life. Plus, its the little things that make me happy and having a list of little things is something I enjoy doing. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, ill be checking a ton of them off in the very near future.

The highlights of my bucket list:

Live in a foreign country -->More than 6 months
Swim in the ocean...and like it (I am terrified of the ocean/waves for some stupid reason)
Get a tattoo (while sober)
Hang glide
Illustrate a childrens book..and win a Caldecott Medal :)
Parasailing
Go to a nude beach...and be naked.
Mardi Gras in New Orleans!
Dance on a bar
Ride a mechanical bull
Couch surf
Climb the statue of liberty
See Angel Falls in Venezuela
Be in Boston for St Patricks Day
snowboard
Get my masters
adopt a dog from a shelter
Maintain a blog
Ride an elephant
Milk a cow
Watch turtles hatch and run for the ocean
Be on the Amazing Race
kiss the blarney stone
Try a trapeze lesson
Run 5 miles (im a terrible runner with crap endurance)

Singles Awareness and some other news

So I recently bought a gym membership...I never went to a gym regularly bc we always had workout equipment in the basement. I also was terribly weirded out by the idea of people watching me work out. Id go to the south campus small gym at school but that was the extent of my frequenting the gym...so anyways, I went out on a limb and bought one. I went twice now and I love it! As long as I go with someone, I think it is so fun! My friend Jenn has been coming with me on days when I don't work late and I am actually excited to go. Never thought that would happen!

Speaking of working late..I got a second job at the Barber Center doing TSS right? So I had two clients, one of whom was so severe I had no idea what to do with him. Like to the point where you turn your head for .2 seconds and hes eaten the crayon you left him with (true story) so I freaked out and debating telling them I couldnt do it when a glitch happened that saved my pride. The passive restraint training that I would need is during the day which means, no training for me which ultimately means I cannot legally work with this child so freedom is mine. Not to mention the boss lady admitted that this "wasnt something she would normally encourage" in reference to putting a newbie on a case like his. So im out. Yay. Now I have the option of adding 6 more hours with a new client who is high functioning. Butttt its 20-30 mins from my house and ultimately 2 more night after work that i'd be out til after 8 at night. Decisions, decisions...

Hot bartender update...so I actually got the nerve to give him my number and he never called, no big deal. I ran into him at the bar like 3 weeks after that and before I said anything he was all cutely apologetic about not calling bc of having lost my number. So i smoothly suggest he get it again and put it in his wallet. A week later and no phone call!? What is it with boys?!

Which leads right into Valentines Day...no big plans but my friend Leah and I had a "date" to make up for being single and painfully aware of it lol. I had a family party all day to celebrate my 2 uncles and cousins bdays (get this: 2 brothers and one of their daughters...their bdays are the 11th, 12th and 13th of february). After leah and I had a rager planned but only succeeded in going to one bar that had 2 people at it so we left, another where some old insane child molester was gazing into our souls while talking to himself about us...so we left, another where we ran into an ex boyfriend with another girl, so we left...and finally the last bar that we could find with any sign of people there. We stayed. It was uneventful even though we were lookin cute and giving all the right signals to the single guys in the world haha. Oh well, maybe next year Valentines day in another country (potentially!?) will bring better luck!

While I was creeping...

While doing some serious Sunday creeping (I love spending my Sunday nights in bed on the lap top looking for new music/books/fun sites, etc) I stumbled across some ridiculously amazing voices on Youtube. I LOVE listening to people sing. I frequently requests my friends with amazing voices (Carrie, Lindsay Roberts, Allison..)sing to me and I could listen to them sing all day. I am actually terribly envious of people who can sing.

So check out Sheena Melwani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mlsiz1XXdI&feature=related


Another amazing youtube find is Marie Digby. Her newer stuff I don't like as much but she has a really cute xmas song called Bring Me Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzkK6_Rm-XA&feature=channel
and my fav song of hers Unfold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jDKY0w74T4 <--not acoustic version



i LOVE paramore. Theyre one of my favs and this is the best paramore cover ive heard http://www.youtube.com/user/katem3#p/u/51/WujoydWcLBI <--Kate McGill


On other fronts I discovered "Its A Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life IN Your Twenties". Looks promising..ordered it on Amazon today...i'll let you know when it arrives. :)

Speaking of good books, Stone Garden by Molly Moynahan is fantastic as is Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult


and www.freerice.org for all the word lovers of the world

Celebrity Encounter: Ron White

So if you dont know who Ron White is, dont feel bad, I didnt either til last night. Turns out hes some Redneck/Blue Collar comedian famous for drinking scotch and smoking cigars during his acts.

So...A friend and I are at the bar sitting at a table for four and there are two of us. In walks this old dude smoking a cigar acting like he owns the place. A few randos cheer for him leading us to wonder "who is that?" Turns out the overflow of people downtown was due to his comedy show.

Friend Dave and I are making fun of this comedian acting like a big head, Dace goes to get us drinks and comedian motions to the chair across from me to ask if he can sit. I nod sure (all verbal communication was not an option bc the band/speakers were 10 feet from our ears thus deafening all of us to the voices of anyone else in the bar lol). Then some fan of his taps him on the shoulder and says something to the effect of "Great show. Im glad you could come to town!" And the comedian totally blows him off. Finally the guy tries again and the comedian looks over his shoulder, points to the stage and says "Im trying to watch the show". RUDE.

A few mins later, after hes done smoking his "perscription california grade A weed" (probably the same kind he was busted for possessing in Vero Beach in 08) in his tour bus that happens to be blocking the north bound lane of state street...he comes back to the table. Dave and I had gotten popcorn and it was sitting on our side of the table, between us. Mr Rude comedian reaches his massive dirty oven mitts across the table and eats our popcorn! without even asking! When its gone he makes a gesture signaling there is no more popcorn. I say to him, pointing, "Theres a machine in the corner. Help yourself."

I look over a few minutes later to see him bypass the baskets and instead shove his mitts into the popcorn machine, ignoring all sanitary concerns, and standing there eating out of the machine. Nasty ass.

Twenty minutes later the old turd is making out with a twenty something on the dance floor.

And this sums up my encounter with the one, the only, comedian Ron White. Bleh.

I get that youre some D-list (if that) celebrity and you think you own shit but Ron White, this is Erie, and half of us dont know who you are. Settle down.

Updates

Life updates...

I got a 2nd job at BNI for an extra 10-15 hours of work a week.Its doing TSS with 2 autistic kids. The one is nonverbal and aggressive and I am terrified. Im a little concerned with my decision...maybe coming home from work at 4 and being lazy every day is more my style!?

I have officially decided I am going to get another tattoo. A cousin of mine and I want to get one in memory of our Gramma who passes away in Dec of 05...I already have another one planned that I will hopefully be getting in Central America this fall (once i have perfected my spanish language skills and can be 100% sure that the words are translated correctly haha...no reason to end up with "monkey licker" or something tattooed on me permanently)

I have also started working on grad school apps! This is something I've wanted to do for awhile...bc its sorta necessary for a psych graduate...you don't really have THAT much job opportunity with just a BA in psych. So the plan is to go back to school for a masters in social work (the ultimate goal being working in international adoption, my dream job). So far I've narrowed it down to UW in Seattle and USC in Columbia, SC. Also on that list is Pitt...but id much prefer to go further away.

In even bigger news, i finally got bold and gave my number to the hot bartender ive been eyeballing for months now! :) life is fabulous!