mono on mifflin

so as most of you know, this weekend hosted the mifflin street block party! it was my very first, and i really didn't know what to expect. my roommates were so excited for it but i really didn't know why; to me it just sounded like a bunch of drunk people standing in the street. well, i was wrong. they aren't allowed on the street so they stand in the yards! it was really fun though, probably one of the best times i've had since i moved here. i got to see a lot of random people from high school that came to madison just for this party! it was really fun! i didn't like a lot of these people when we were in high school, but now everyone that i run into seems really nice. unfortunatly for me, i've been sick since spring break and i finally went to the doctor last week to see what was going on- turns out i have mono. the doctor told me NO DRINKING for at least a month. but c'mon now, number one, it's mifflin. number two, i've been drinking ever since i got mono and i've made it this far, i don't think it will kill me to have one more fun weekend. i know, i don't always make good choices. but hey, it's monday, i'm still alive and i'm going to class! that's because i'm a trooper and i'm hardcore. but my goal for this week is to only make good choices, which means no drinking, studying and getting lots-o-rest. good luck on your finals everyone!

time is(n't) on my side.

so you may remember reading that i broke up with my boyfriend a while back. i really didn't plan on meeting anyone new and i was planning on just being single for a while and maybe dating a little. well very shortly after we broke up, i met a guy and we hung out a few times and had a lot of fun together. we've been dating since and we see each other every day. i really like him and my feelings are just getting stronger the better i get to know him. i don't want to move too fast and i'm a little worried that it's not healthy for me to get out of such a long, serious relationship and jump right back into a new one. i'm not sure what to do. i really like him and i can see this going somewhere, and i don't think i should just back out of it because the timing is right. if there's anything i learned this semester, it's that things don't go according to our plans and you have to roll with the punches. if you have any comments i'd love some feedback or advice.
on another note, the old boyfriend called me yesterday. he wanted to know if he could come over and use my cell phone because his wallet and phone were stolen on thursday and he needed to call and cancel his credit cards and stuff.... that sucks big time. i feel bad for him. but i'm still glad we broke up.

for nikki

so my blog is in response to nikki's. my life is lame right now so i'll use my blog to respond to your situation. that's totally understandable that you are what some may call a 'relationship-phobe.' i think that we are influence a lot by our experiences growing up, and while you had friend's parents to fill in where yours were lacking, you were definitely exposed to an unhealthy relationship. no one wants to end up in a bad relationship or get divorced, so naturally we all try to stear away from something when it gives us an uncomfortable feeling. i'm glad that you realize that we can't change people; a lot of us (myself included) stay with people and think that they can change the things we don't like about the other person. i was with willie for over 3 years and i always told myself that the things that bugged me about our relationship would change. well, that's not fair to either person. you can't change people and you shouldn't anyway. why should i change for anyone or vice-versa? so i get the part about ending it when you realize there are things you don't like about the other person. on the other hand, that's how we grow. if i wasn't around someone who did things that bugged me or that i wasn't sure about i would be pretty sheltered. the thing that i really didn't like about willie was all the time i wasted waiting for him. he was always late. well, i hated that, but it really made me stop and smell the flowers now and again, because i am anally on time for everything. well i guess that's not a good example since we broke up, but i guess i'm trying to say that you have to give people a chance even if there's stuff you don't like about them; it can be good for both of you and you may realize that the things you do like about them outway the things you don't like about them. another thing to keep in mind: we all have a certain taste in guys/girls. we are generally attracted to the same types of people. well, isn't that kind of funny since those relationships didn't work out in the past? it can't hurt to be open people that you didn't expect to be attracted to. you never know i guess.

i'm going to start you on fire.

i have been having the greatest weekends lately. i really didn't think anything could top the city bus episode from 2 weeks ago, but i've got a close second. it started friday: another bus episode. this part wasn't really fun, but pretty entertaining. so i'm on my way home on the bus and i'm sitting by some unique individuals on the back of the bus. this lady is kind of fighting with some random guy and they are just talking crazy at each other. then the lady decided to talk crazy at me and told me that "her people could beat me up." i just sat there and pretended not to hear her. then she told me that she was going to "set my ass on fire." what kind of a threat is that? who starts someone on fire? anyway, that was my most interesting experience on friday. on saturday my roommate and i went grocery shopping. we went to metcalfe's connected to the hilldale mall. that was a very classy establishment, let me tell you. they had a ginormous dessert showcase; i got a giant chocolate rod thinger. delicious. so that put us in a good mood, and then we met a lady who was giving out wine samples. she was so fun! we sat and talked with her for half an hour and drank free wine! who would have guessed that i'd leave the grocery store with a buzz. anyway, we went home and i took an ideal nap..... you know, one of those perfect saturday afternoon naps where you have the whole day to waste laying in bed. after that, we made dinner. we made twice baked potatoes, asparagus and steak with gorgonzola cheese and sauteed mushrooms. it was soooo good!! i have to say, i had way more fun just hanging out around the house, unshowered and wearing sweatpants than i did going out the night before! i think we all need one of those chill-out, low maintenence days to get our ducks back in a row.

would you rather?

alright. have you ever played the 'would you rather' game? love it. i'm going to write a bunch of 'would you rather' questions and you readers can leave you answers in the comments. ready? go.

would you rather eat sauerkraut everyday for the rest of your life or receive a wet willy every day for the rest of your life?

would you rather have your sexual organs light up whenever you are aroused or have them make giggling children sounds?

would you rather have to fight to the death Andre the Giant or 25 angry little clowns?

would you rather be machine-gunned to death by lite-brite pegs or assassinated by cabbage patch dolls?

would you rather be mechanically induced to scream at the top of your lungs for an hour, or have your eyes glued shut for a day?

would you rather suck on a live cow teat for five minutes, or be imprisoned?

would you rather be 4'1'' or 7'9''?

would you rather have 3 eyes or webbed feet?

would you rather always have to say everything on your mind or never say anything again?

would you rather have sand in your shorts or water in your ear?

would you rather get free chocolate for one year or free potatoes forever?

would you rather be a deep sea diver or an astronaut?

would you rather always forget your name when asked or never remember anyone else's?

I'M ALLERGIC TO ORANGES! GET OFF!

So my roommate and I decide to go to the serf Saturday morning because I've never been there and I think that people who work out are cool and I want to be like them. So we are walking to the capital to catch the bus and the odd things begin to happen. First, we see 2 ducks that seem like statues. I know, ducks aren't weird, but it's weird when you start to chase them and they don't even move. We then see a little weiner dog wearing a red shirt. Again not weird, I just really like weiner dogs. We finally get to the bus stop which has the benches and a little roof on it. There is a guy standing right outside of the shelter waiting for the bus too. The roommate and I are talking, enjoying the capital view when an egg falls off of the roof and almost hits the man standing outside... that incident is weird. Get ready for part two... much more interesting than part one.
Part two: Roommate and I get on the bus and sit down. I don't know if you've ever ridden the bus on a Saturday or if this is the usual Saturday crowd but wow.... some real odd ones were on today. Right after we sit down, the bus driver turns around and yells "HEY!! WHO'S EATING ON THE BUS?!! everyone just kind of looks around, pretty confused. He goes on to yell "I SMELL ORANGES! WHO HAS AN ORANGE?" this old lady speaks up and says " uh, I have and orange but I put it in my bag..." then scary Mr. busdriver yells at her some more: "UH, I'M ALLERGIC TO ORANGES! GET OFF THE BUS AND THROW IT AWAY. DO YOU WANT ME TO GO INTO ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK WHILE I'M DRIVING? IT'S BEEN THE LAW FOR FOUR YEARS... NO EATING ON THE BUS."
so naturally, I'm a little bamboozled by this over-reaction but I don't want to see the busdriver freak out again so I keep my composure... even though it was hillarious. So we start to travel toward state street and two sketchy guys get on the bus. One of them has a few patches of really long hair on his head and he's carrying a bike tire. the other guy seems a little out of sorts and pretty questionable. the second guy sits down right next to lady, which was not necessary because there were plenty of open seats, but whatever, not a big deal. after about a minute, the second bus episode happened.
the bus is calm, people are chatting and acting relatively normal when the lady sitting next to creeper number two lashes out at the creeper next to her; "Get off of me! You are always flirting with me and poking me and touching me! You are dirty and I want you to stay away from me!" Now everyone on the bus has got to be thinking 'what is wrong with that crazy lady?' the creeper next to her just shakes his head like he doesn't know what to say when the creeper with the bike tire pipes out and starts screaming at the crazy lady.
this was honestly the most confusing and entertaining bus rides I have experienced! at this point, the people are yelling at each other and the bus driver who is allergic to oranges is getting pissed off. i figured that was my cue to exit the bus, even though it was not my stop.
i realize that this blog was probably confusing and not as funny to you as it was to me, but wow. there are some really peculiar people around here. the end.

that's right, I'm a grown-up.

I turned 21 last week. I have to say, I was pretty pissed off when I realized that this year was a leap year because that meant one more day before I turned 21... (I know, one day doesn't really make that much of a difference). Time made up for that crappy postponement of my birthday by allowing spring break to be the week right after my b-day. I didn't go anywhere tropical or exciting, but the bar seemed pretty ideal after a frustrating and confusing part one to the semester. So I can finally go to the bar or order a drink with my dinner, and I'm pretty excited about this. The first place I went (other than the Nitty) was the Crave for a pre-party night martini. I really expected to get carded because I think I look pretty young for my age. Or at least, I used to. Late Bloomer; what can ya do? BUT NO!!! they didn't even card me. In fact most of the places I've gone to so far haven't carded me! I really don't get it. When I had the fake, everyone and their cousin wanted to see my ID. but BAM. now I'm 21 and I must look like someone's mom. I guess I just can't have my birthday cake and eat it too. I can either look youthful and get carded or look old(er) and live with the consequences. I guess I can't really complain yet. I'm still in my prime, right? maybe in 10-15 years I can actually start complaining about this.

loved the weekend

I had the best weekend I've had in a long time. I went out on Thursday, which is a first for me. I had an awesome time! Friday wasn't so great, but that was because of Thursday's beverage choices... oops. I met a guy there for a 'date' and it was a lot of fun. I haven't been on a date with someone other than my boyfriend since my junior year of high school, so it was a little wierd. On Saturday, my family came to visit me for my birthday, which is on Tuesday. I haven't seen them in about a month, and my life has been pretty crazy and frustrating since then, (If you read my blog a few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I decided to take a break). I was so happy to see them! My mom and dad came, my oldest sister and her husband, and my 2nd oldest sister (who is pregnant) and her boyfriend. I guess I was so excited because they gave up their weekends to be with me, to come all the way to Madison, so put out money to stay in a hotel, pay for gas and take me out for a few meals. It really meant a lot to me. I also got an iPod which is pretty cool, but I'm more excited about the seeing my family thing. That's really all I've been thinking about today, hence the subject of my blog. I know you readers probably aren't as excited about this as I am, but I just wanted to tell someone.

did you really just say that?

So I'm a pretty easy-going person. I get along with pretty much everyone and I put on a nice face if I don't. This is a pretty handy thing when it comes to roommates, as I'm sure you are all able to relate to. I have two roommates right now. I'm pretty close with one of them and we get along really well. The other one.... she drives me up the fuckin wall. Like I said, I'm pretty easy going so I tolerate her and I don't make drama. Lately, I can hardly stand it when she opens her mouth, which is pretty much every minute that she's awake. She talks constantly, and I kid you not, its always about selfish, 'the-world-revolves-around-me' topics like "Oh my God, I feel like people always try to talk to me at the bar" or "I don't know what to wear out tonight, I wore this on New Year's Eve and there are pictures of me in it! What should I do? It didn't bother me so much at the beginning of the year, but as time has gone by, she's become even more self-involved. Now the commentary isn't just vain and meaningless, its ridiculously self-centered and even cruel. Last week we were watching tv and a commercial came on for a charity fund in the middle east. Cheryl popped in with "I'm not trying to be mean but I really don't care what's going on over on the other side of the world." I couldn't believe that came out of her mouth. She has no conception of worldly issues, other people or other cultures. She must really believe that everything exists to please her.
I usually try to explain to her why these issues are important but I feel like it's a lost cause these days. After the conversation about child birth, (she said that she would never have kids because they would ruin her body and she couldn't love them because they would cause her so much pain during labor) I realized that I needed to start tuning out her shallow, selfish comments. I am not exaggerating when I say this, everything that comes out of her mouth is about her. Even if it starts out as "how did your test go..." the phrase continues with "So I was walking back from class..." or "Waking up is sooooooo annoying..." I have to say that living with a person like this has really made me more aware of move words and consideration for others. I hope I never come across as the kind of person she is.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with her or respond to her let me know. I'm leaning toward a physical response, but I'd kind of like to keep a clean record, and I wouldn't have anywhere to put her body anyway... kidding.

With the Wisconsin primaries over, I've been thinking about the candidates running for president. This is an extremely liberal area/ school, which is not a bad thing, but it's easy to fall into the mindset of the majority when you are constantly exposed to similar opinions. I am moderate myself, so I really try to explore each candidate and what they will do. At this point I've decided this: Hillary does not seem like a very nice lady. I'm not saying that she wouldn't make a fine president, but I think she's kind of bitchy with her tactics and name-calling. I like Obama, but the more I hear about him, the more unsure I am about his character. Again, he may be a good president, but I don't feel like he's easy to get to know. The 'anti patriotic' accusations may or may not be true, but I think it's a serious issue that I haven't heard him defend whole-heartedly. I noticed that I haven't seen any republican support around campus or town. Like I said, it's a liberal city, but as a moderate individual, I would like to be exposed to each standpoint. I looked at McCain's platform (I think Huckabee's a jerk, so I didn't bother with him) and it seemed alright. I haven't heard any negative remarks from him or crazy accusations, so that a nice change. If you can't tell, I'm very much undecided in this election and I don't know a lot about these candidates. As a citizen, I want to use my right to vote responsibly and know who and what I'm voting for. If you have any comments or opinions about any of these candidates I'd love to hear them!

valentine's day

I've recently discovered that Valentine's day takes the cake for crappiest day of the year. Even with my plus one, I wasn't a big fan of the forced romance that V-day inflicts on everyone. I think that telling someone to do something romantic and packaging it up for them takes the excitement and authenticity out of true romance. Besides having this mindset, I've also managed to make Valentine's day practically unbearable for the most important people in my life this year.
Did you ever hear stories about the jerk who dumped his girlfriend/ boyfriend on Valentine's day? Every time I've ever heard a story about someone who did that I thought "gosh, who would do that; that's awful." Well, somehow, I ended up being that jerk last Thursday.
I love my boyfriend very much and we've been together since before our senior year of high school. Since then, we've done pretty much everything together. We went to UW Stevens Point together for our first two years of school and then we both transferred here in the fall. We both knew it would be a big change and we thought we were ready for it. However, neither of us realized how strenuous it would be on our relationship.
Things have been rough over the past semester and they've only been getting harder. We both have hard classes and we live far enough apart where we don't get to see each other very much, pretty much just on the weekends. That's a huge change for us; we've been able to see each other pretty much every day since we started dating. Between not seeing each other and our other list of relationship stresses, I decided early last week that we needed to take a break from each other for a little while. It really freaked me out at first because I never imagined having to take a break from our relationship. Once I got the idea in my head, it was hard to think of anything else and it began to sound like a pretty good idea, just until we both got back on our toes and figured things out for ourselves.
I had planned on waiting until next weekend to talk to him about it, but when we saw each other on Valentine's day he could tell something was bothering me and insisted that we talk about it. So, I told him how I felt and he agreed that a break might be good. I really feel like a bitch because who says "we need a break" on Valentine's day? Since then, my heart has just been aching and I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do or not. I think it could be good if we sincerely take a break and use it to re-assess our lives, but I just feel like crap and I know he does too.
Anyway, the moral of the story is, don't say "we need a break" on Valentine's day; it's not nice.

i hate you, winter.

Winter sucks. February sucks the most out of all of the winter months. This is because there isn't really a wintery holiday to look forward to and we are far enough into the new year to realize that we won't succeed in our resolutions for the rest of the year. Obviously, the cold sucks the most. I don't care who you are, nobody enjoys having their snot freeze to the cilia inside their nose and having their tears frozen to their face. How about the crappy roads? I'm pretty sure that everyone involved in the massive traffic jams and pile-ups over the last few weeks now hates winter as well. It's hard to see the silver lining when you are sleeping in your car overnight on the interstate when it's a whopping twelve degrees above zero. I wish global warming would hurry up and remove winter from our yearly itineraries.

why not prevent it?

When I was in high school, I was in a pretty serious car accident. I suffered from a variety of back and neck injuries. That is when I began my experience with chiropractic care. I still see a chiropractor as needed to keep my neck and back in alignment and to relieve my headaches.
Chiropractic care is a relatively new field of medicine. In fact, a lot of people still don't consider it a legitimate source of medical care. Among these "non-supporters" are many insurance companies. There are a lot of health plans that do not cover chiropractic care. This is something that really baffles me. Chiropractic care is generally used for prevention, so why would an insurance company refuse to pay for preventative medicine and prefer to pay for a surgery ten years down the road that would cost way more than the neglected preventative care?

This is my favorite painting by my favorite artist, Vincent Van Gogh.

Does anyone else find this funny?