I'm thinking of the morphia, you see,

You know I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. It's only been a week but am doing well with my resolutions. I am getting up early and going to the gym with my mom and I am trying not to bite my nails. Though I have definitely caught myself nibbling on them a few times. I also just got done with my first week of classes. I am taking Two-Dimensional Design, Photography I, Intro to Philosophy II, and Human Body (which is a late start class so I have yet to attend) and they are all wonderful. Granted, it probably helps that I am only taking classes that I have a real interest in. (I can not WAIT to get into the dark room, by the way!) And to top it all off, I spent the day (with a lot of help from my mother) cleaning my apartment. It's still not finished but it's a lot more organized. Plus, I have a lot of stuff that I just don't need so I am getting rid of it. All of it. Needless to say, my trash compactor has been seeing a lot of me. So now all I need to work on is getting a new job. And I would write all about when/where I plan to job-search but then it probably won't happen. I know myself, the more I talk about something the more it becomes just that... talk. So as of now I am shutting up and just doing it. Hopefully. 

And because I forgot to mention it earlier, I just wanted to say that it's cold and I LOVE IT!! I was sitting outside of It's A Grind earlier, shivering and gulping down my coffee in an attempt to keep warm but incredibly happy. I have been waiting for cold weather and now that it's finally here I am enjoying it every chance I get!

Plus, I went to MCC today and put in my application, it took awhile but I should be good to go. It will be nice to NOT have to drive an hour to get to school anymore.

I realize that I am a little late but hopefully writing my resolutions down will help me stick to them.

1. Stop biting my nails.
2. Actually use my gym membership.
3. Get good grades in school.
4. Find a new job that is related to Photography.
5. Be more organized.

I have a headache.  : (

 My dream winter escape just includes cold weather and snow. I can't believe that it's December and still 80 degrees here. It just doesn't feel like it will be Christmas soon. I need mountains. Perhaps it's time to visit North Carolina.

Well the family reunion went a lot better than I thought it would. I really only talked to people I already knew  and I played several games of  horseshoes with my dad, my cousin Darren, and Trey. I actually did pretty well! I hadn't played horseshoes since high school so I was a bit surprised. My dad and I were teamed up though so Trey and Darren didn't stand a chance!  We beat them every time!

I also talked to my grandmother for the first time since missing my grandfather's funeral. She seemed like she's doing okay, which makes me happy. She has always been a social butterfly so I am sure she is keeping herself busy. I just hope that she knows I didn't miss the funeral on purpose. I've had a lot of guilt over it and I think I had started avoiding my grandmother because of it... In fact, I think I was avoiding that whole side of the family. I didn't realize it until my relatives kept coming up to me and they all said things like, "Haven't seen you in awhile!" or 'Where've you been hiding?" It's easy to forget about them because I live so far away but I think my New Year's Resolution will be to spend more time with them. Far too many people I knew and cared for have died this year and instead of continuously putting it off,  I need to appreciate my friends and family now, while we're all still around to enjoy it. 



In other news, Dorian has to go in on Wednesday to get neutered. I am very nervous and scared that something will go wrong. I have to drop him off at around 8:00 in the morning and I can't go back to pick him up until about 4:00pm. The vet also said that he can't have anything to eat or drink after 10:00pm on Tuesday which means that I have to take both their bowls up. And I can tell you right now that they won't be happy. I am trying to think positively though. Nothing good will come from my worrying. My vet is great and I am sure he will take excellent care of Dori but I will probably be a basket case until he is back home with me, safe and sound.

When will I ever learn to stop procrastinating? Today is not only my dad's 51st birthday but also our Hill/Rankin family reunion and I am NOT ready! Though I don't think I will ever been ready to meet a lot of relations I never even knew I had. But I have no presents for my father and honestly I can't even think of anything to get him (besides the golf shirts he always gets, I swear he probably has about a thousand now).  Plus, (because I suck at life) I have no idea when the reunion even starts and its in Arcadia so it will take some time to get there.  I am just stressed out and it doesn't help that the holidays are looming. Hopefully I will wake up to my alarm clock tomorrow morning so I have time to get everything done. I have been drinking wine so I should sleep like a baby. And on the plus side, my left eye has stopped twitching for the moment (probably the wine). It's been been twitching on and off since Thanksgiving and it's driving me absolutely bonkers. I blame the holidays. 

Oh, and I almost put my two weeks notice in today but I chickened out.

 WARNING: Will attempt to describe plot of current book to anyone within earshot.

( Proceed with Caution )

Enjoy!! 

Yes! I finally got my Shoebox Mood Theme to work!!

Yay! Black Friday is officially over!

I honestly expected today to be a lot busier than it actually was. Though I think I missed most of the early morning frenzy (which is fine by me) because I didn't come in until the afternoon. I heard that Super Target had over 500 people lined up outside by the time they opened their doors. Overall, I am very happy that this day is over and done. All I really want to do right now is crawl into bed and read. Which, come to think of it, is exactly what I'll do. :)

Harry Potter Character Combatibility Test created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Remus Lupin You're a calm, cool, optimistic person who doesn't dwell on the bad but looks more deeply into the good. You're wise and know much about the world, and though you teach your lessons to others, react humbly when complimented on your intelligence. You've suffered a lot in your life but are extremely accepting of it all and suffer inwardly. You're a great friend to have as you're gentle and caring. Remus Lupin 78% Neville Longbottom 72% Albus Dumbledore 66% Luna Lovegood 66% Hermione Granger 66% Draco Malfoy 59% Severus Snape 59% Ron Weasley 59% Harry Potter 56% Bellatrix Lestrange 53% Sirius Black 44% Lord Voldemort 41% Oliver Wood 38% Percy Weasley 38%

I can never seem to keep myself from taking these silly quizzes. :)

I would probably have to say dying my hair purple. In my defense, it was more of a plum and (according to the box) going to come out in a week or so. However, I didn't take my highlights into account which soaked the color right up. My hair was various shades of plum/burgundy/auburn for about a month. And honestly, my highlights never lost their reddish tinge until I went back to my hairstylist. He just chuckled and shook his head at me when I told him. I enjoyed it though so I have no regrets. Here's to making rash decisions at four in the morning!

I identify with characters from lots of books in hundreds of tiny little ways but I would have to say Nan Astley from Tipping the Velvet. I identify with her attempt to find herself in a world that is much more comfortable with cookie cutter clones. And although I live in a much more free time than she would have I believe that there will always be akward pauses and sideways glances when dealing with less accepting individuals. 

And because I have much much love for the Shoebox Project (and Harry Potter, in general) I am breaking the rules and mentioning a second character, Remus Lupin. I can definitely relate to his teenage akwardness (my specialty) and his love for the written word. And as with Miss Astley above, he also goes through the ever-delightful process of finding himself.

1.   My Loved Ones.
2.   My Kittens.
3.   Dusty Books
4.   Central Air.
5.   Good Music.
6.   Art.
7.   Mistakes.
8.   Second Chances.
9.   The Magic of Childhood.
10. The Shoebox Project

 

Just to warn anyone who happens to stumble upon this journal, most of my entries here will be private (unless of course, I am struck by the urge to share my rambling thoughts). And more often than not it those thoughts will pertain to the books/movies/tv shows that have managed to catch my attention and not to my personal life...or lack thereof. That is all. :) 

-Christina