Happy Belated Birthday, Blog!

In all the craziness that has been Christmas with the fam, the birthday of our beloved blog has been overlooked. HOWEVER! Before the New Year, I must congratulate you, dear blog, on your first birthday. It has been a bumpy but fantastic first year!
Kelly and I will be celebrating today with a Regina Spektor marathon and either Mark Wahlberg: The Boxer or perhaps a potentially once-in-a-lifetime crappy Reese Witherspoon movie. I highly doubt this because Reese is my favorite but there is a first for everything.

Anyhoo,


And A Happy New Year to all of our lovely readers!

Let's Get Something Straight...

By: Monica

Time to debunk a myth. Contrary to general thought, a guy should NOT tell a girl what she wants to hear. Surprised? Bear with me on this one, it’s going to get complicated.

There is only one reason for this, and it is the female’s fault. A woman THINKS she knows what she wants to hear, but she is oh, so very wrong. Because, in fact, that which she believes she wants to hear is exactly what she DOES NOT want to hear. I’m not talking about specific words or phrases, but of the general “sweet talk” that is so highly used in romance movies and associated with ideal men and (unrealistic) “changed” bad boys alike. In real life, a woman would cut the crap.

Example:

A Woman’s List of Perfect Character Traits in a Man:

1. Tells her he loves her every day.

2. Tells her she’s the only one for him.

3. Coos her to sleep during her emotional breakdowns.

4. Calls her every day to remind her of how special she is to him.

5. Tells her she is beautiful every chance he gets.

6. Supports her in everything she does/thinks without needing to understand.

7. Is sexy.


Now to prove that all of these traits should not be on a woman’s list because she really does not want them there:

1. Monotonous. Expected. Annoying. It WILL become annoying, I promise.

2. Though (I know) irrational, this makes a red light appear in woman’s brain that flashes, “You can do better!” Every girl wants to be part of someone’s life, not the entire thing. The second you make it clear that she is your only option, you do two things:

a. Awaken her to the world of men out there who don’t consider her their “only one”. She has already won you over, now you are boring and can be discarded. The saying goes, “marriage needs work.” Hell yeah it does. This is what women consider work. And they love it.

b. You have just set her future in stone (if you have it your way) and this will make her run. Who honestly wants to know how the rest of their life will turn out? I don’t want to know that you are the one I will end up being with. If you tell me I am your only option for a shot at love, I am going to get rid of that only shot for you. Sorry.

3. At this, my first reaction would be to tell you to “be a man”. But I realize that is harsh and that millions of girls will come at me with pitchforks (tomatoes for the little ones) for instructing men not to be the kind and sensitive lover they have always wanted. I get it. HOWEVER, the greatest comfort in life is knowing you have a rock. Not a second cry-buddy. That’s what your female friends (and maybe your mother) are for. Cooing is like ice cream: It makes you feel better at the beginning but too much will make you vomit. And, girls, you know deep in your heart that the best thing to do is get up and DO something. Get your mind off all the shit that is clogging up your life. That is basically where the rock comes in. It’s there for you to lean on when you need a break from chaos but it will also help you develop a tougher skin. Now, which sounds better?

4. Again, monotonous and annoying. The phrase isn’t that special if it’s said every day, is it?

5. AGAIN. Monotonous and annoying. Not to mention, if a girl hears this all the time then the moments she really needs to hear it, she won’t. She’ll hear the same words she’s been hearing for however long. It loses its touch after a while. Don’t wear it out.

6. This I never understood. Common sense tells you that you do not support something because someone tells you to support it, but because you understand it and agree. You do not vote for Obama because your friend tells you to, but because you agree with his political views on how the country should be run. You do not date someone because someone merely tells you they are a good person, but because you have witnessed it for yourself and agree. Common sense, right? Right. So, how can you expect someone to agree/support you in things they do not understand/agree with? I don’t get it. If you cannot convince someone or make a situation clear without it sounding crazy, you have no relevant premise. And on the opposite side, what man in their right mind would support something they do not understand? Tell me, HOW IS THIS REASONABLE? If a woman cannot fathom the fact that you would like a little clarity on the situation or if she cannot handle that you disagree with her, why would you want to waste your time with her anyway? Girls love to argue. We will pick a fight just to get some feedback from you. When you don’t catch on, we get bored.

7. Sexy is too feminine of a word. A female can be sexy. I’d rather a man be described by a manlier word. Okay, maybe that is just my opinion. However, if the item on the list was true, 95% of men that walk the Earth would not have anybody. Women have the ability to look past physical imperfections (jk) and appreciate someone for their depth. Honestly, women like any type. There is a reason why there are not crowds of men rushing into fitness centers. They don’t need to.

Make sense? There is a fine line between reality and what you see on the TV screen. The credit should really go to the film's soundtrack composers who do a great job of covering up the awkward silence in the background with inspiring and uplifting melodic lines that make you sigh in anticipation for that one kiss. Yes, they are hired for a reason.

Recommendation #2

http://thefrenemy.tumblr.com/

This blog is one of my absolute FAVORITE things. Like, so much so that she would easily take up two of the slots in my Guilt Free Three List. Examples of her brilliance:

Girls are Psycho:

"Luckily for you, you will never quite find out how insane I am. You don’t know that I stare at my phone to see if I can will a message to appear. And you have no idea that sometimes, I incessantly go over all kinds of events in my head so I can break them down and see what I did to have really fucked them up. I make my friends tell me over and over again if ‘this was a bad sign’ or ‘this amount of time means what’ and the list goes on and on. Once again, only my good friends will see this happen. I am a behind-the-scenes insane person, only because if I like somebody or something or anything at all, I want to not lose it and have it like me, too. Or I want to be successful at it. I’m not just talking dates and love or whatever. I’m talking EVERYTHING. Jobs, success, even making a good fucking cheesecake. Do I want to be the best? No, I want to be noticed that I’m at least borderline decent. And if I’m not, I will go inwardly insane. I will set aside two or three days or hours to beat myself up. And then I will drink some spiked eggnog (do people actually drink eggnog without booze? Nuts) and get over it. And you will never know it happened. That is crazy? I’d say so. Oh, and I like yellow hot dog mustard on my vegetables and rice. Just sayin’.

The real reason I am telling you this is for one simple reason: Please treat everybody like they are insane. I mean this: every single person you come into contact with, handle them as if they are just nuts. As in cautiously and very, very thoughtfully. Go out of your way to let them know your actions: “okay I’m going to move this cup over to THIS sink now, slowly and with large tip-toe steps.” You may think we look tough and mean and scary and strong, but we are not always. We are insane. We are sadly on the brink of stalking out houses and wearing our hair in one giant dreadlock. Handle us with care. You hear that? Handle us with care. But please, please, whatever you do- don’t let us know you’re doing it. We’re strong, remember?! REMEMBER?!?!?!"

On Long-Distance Relationships:

"LDR’s are like going to the doctor’s office: if you’re going just for the yummy lollipop and the possible pain meds at the end, you’re a stupid but fun moron. If you have a really important and life-threatening reason to go there, than you just have to power through and deal. I basically mean ‘for the sex and fun’ kind of love, it’s a bad idea. But for the ‘we’ve dated longer than a year and I know what sucks about this person already’ kind of love, try it if you can.

Oh, and you have to deal with the fun pain of not being around the person you have finally found you can boom with on the regular and likes you enough to keep you around. Because that’s sooooo easy to find. I forgot about that! Plus, statistics show it most likely will end. Having fun yet?! Whatever, fuck you, I’m single.

Sidenote: If you’re in college? Don’t fucking DO it. DON’T!! Go have some unattached fun!"

I'd love to go on, but this is long enough. Basically, just read the whole blog.

Recommendation #1

By: Kelly

Since we pretty much fail epically at posting, let me direct your nonexistent attention to two other blogs:

http://bbs.chrismoore.com/viewtopic.php?t=7415

I don't really understand how a hobo-looking guy in a camo hat can write about what he did/does but I guess it goes to show not all guys who know a thing or two about romance are tall, dark, and handsome. He basically writes about the three different categories of men from an evolutionary perspective which is pretty genius, dividing it into alpha males (category one and high category two) and beta males (low category two and category three). The only issue I took with him was how much he ripped apart the Beta Male. He made them all sound like the extreme wimps and nerds which I know he did for humor, but if you're going to say 7/10 guys are betas, you should at least point out that shows they all have different personalities/interests.

A few excerpts I loved:

His opinion on women:

"(For the purpose of the article we’ll ignore species like killer whales, elephants and lions, where the Alpha animal and leader of the group is female. The “big teeth” of the Alpha female is cooperation, which has the effect of making all male strategies seem silly. These examples just confuse the issue and cause undue uppityness among human females.) "

Perfect definition of a Category Two:

"The rich fantasy life of the Beta male may often spill over into reality, manifesting in a near-genius levels of self-delusion. In fact, many Beta Males, contrary to any empirical evidence, actually believe that they are Alpha Males, and have been endowed by their creator with advanced stealth charisma."

"Beta Males do not lead countries, they run them. And those who fail to recognize the distinction tend to fail not only as Beta males, but as human beings in general." -I really liked this point, especially when you apply it to relationships. Like he says in the quote before, most Betas don't know that they are Betas which is why they go on to make so many mistakes rather than embrace the truth factor which is what will really work for them.

"When Alpha boys have long since moved on to girls and sports, Betas, in order to sublimate their frustrated sex drive, will still be pursuing pyrotechnics well into adolescence and sometimes beyond. Alpha males may lead the armies of the world, but it’s the Betas who actually get shit blowed up."

"Everyone is happier if he has someone to look down on, as well as someone to look up to, especially if he can resent both. This is not only the Beta Male strategy for survival, but the basis for capitalism, democracy, and most religions."

"Almost no Beta will reach his twenties without having had the object of his affection snatched from his grasp by an Alpha male, then when she is cast off, finding himself used as a cushion for her landing and the unwitting springboard for her next launch at the Alpha bachorlorama. The Beta is the trampoline the female world refers to as just friends."

"Your girlfriend is generally in safe hands with a beta male, unless, of course, she is a complete slut."

"After you’ve been kicked to the curb by a few Alpha Males, the idea of waking up in the arms of a guy who will adore you, if for no other reason than gratitude for sex, and will always be there, even past the point where you can stand to have him around, is a comfortable compromise."

"Spotting the Beta in traffic is easy. He’s the one in front of you, in your lane, going just enough over the speed limit to not allow you to righteously flip him off or call him an ass-bag, but not quite fast enough to actually get you where you’re going on time. The Beta style of driving, or the RID method (Righteous Indignation Deprivation) is a major cause of road rage, freeway shootings, and alcohol consumption among other drivers."

Men, Consider Yourselves Lucky...

By: Monica

...That you are not a male Angler Fish. It sucks. Just look at this:

Talk about love, eh?...

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/angler

The Prodigal Son Has Returned.

By: Monica

Yes, I am labeling myself. I cannot call myself Moses, Elijah, or Jesus, so the Prodigal Son will have to do. A Bible reference is so much cooler than Superman or Edward Cullen. The point is, all of these figures have returned to something at one point or another in their lives (or after-lives). After claiming so ferverently that college life was horrible, I left and never showed my face again. For this I apologize. No, I did not die. College simply got the better of me. But I returned to clarify my stance on this college "experience". A negative: It is keeping me away from all of you; however many "all of you" signifies. However, college has grown on me. <--- This is an understatement. It's challenging, yes. But grueling and unsatisfactory? Definitely not. I have my share of fun here and can honestly say that I outright love it. Yes, I used the "L" word. I LOVE IT. As a matter of fact, if I could move a couple of people down here (Kelly, pack your things, you are one of them), I would rather not leave.

Good. Now that I have set things straight I have to break some bad news to you. Finals are coming up and that means Kein Computer fur (pretend the two dots are there...) Monica.

... hearts?

By: Kelly

Just Because.

By: Monica

Well, now that Kelly has called me out, I cannot do anything but post. I do apologize about the lack of posts due to my horrendous schedule (blah) but I do also want to give this Sexy/Unsexy thing a try :)

Oh, and I am still working on that picture post. Hopefully after midterms are over, I'll be able to plow right through that.

So, here goes nothing:

Sexy: Ranch Corn Nuts. I can't get enough of them. I take them anywhere and everywhere, at all times with me.

Unsexy: Matt Bomer and White Collar in general :P

Blogs are the Ultimate Dumpees

Dear Blog,

I am sorry we have been ignoring you. Not naming any names here (coughMonicacough), but we've both been dropping the ball on this one. Don't blame us; it's your fault. After all:

"Blogs are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back." -John Green (I took the liberty to replace the word books with blogs")

Now for the dreaded "we've been busy" excuse. Monica has 11 classes and a ridiculous schedule involving side projects dictated by her parents and fist pumping with the cast of the Jersey Shore* And I have three tests this week, two of which are midterms worth 25% of my grade each. So of course now, in my busiest week, I have chosen to return to you.

I don't have too many updates really. I just got back from getting a free smoothie at work and from watching the international students mud wrestle in this giant pit outside their dorm. It was AWESOME. And I got my second 98% in a row on a history paper that I labored over for probably more hours than I'll spend giving birth to my first child, so that was good!

Now let's introduce a segment I'm stealing from another blog** called Sexy and Unsexy.

Sexy: Matt Bomer and White Collar in general

Unsexy: The Crusades. I love history, and my teacher rocks but even so, it's the Crusades. Like my (sadly) gay German TA said, it consisted of pestilence and Jesus. And that is it.

*Not really. But one day.
**Hayleyghoover

Love,
Kelly

P.S. Sorry this is such a mini post, Blog. Just be happy you got a letter from me before Monica did ;)

When a Heart Breaks, it Don't Break Even

By: Kelly

So far my "diary" type blogs have been annoyingly chipper but now I'm going to swing to the other extreme and blog about how anxious and depressed I feel. The root of those emotions is my own actions and how annoyed and sick I am of myself. Listening to myself complain about it just makes it worse but I'm going to do it anyway. I can tell I'm out of sorts because usually I have a clarity of mind when writing that lets the words flow, but this post has been rewritten three times already.

It's funny how the more liked I am, the more I dislike myself. I think most people are the opposite- they live for other people's reassurances that they are in fact a good person. I don't because people constantly overestimate me- they think I'm this successful, kind, smart person with a pure conscience. And my actions and words do attest to that on some level but who I really am, when it comes to my personality and thoughts and I'll just say it, soul, is something completely different. I'm vastly selfish and I can be unflinchingly cold and judgmental and animalistic. It's this survival of the fittest, rationalistic attitude I have. I guess everyone could say that about themselves but I really do think most people do things with better and more noble intentions than I do. Or maybe I've just gotten so good at analyzing myself that I see through the bullshit lies other people will feed to themselves with no problem. I never try to justify my actions; I'm always my own prosecutor.

I want people to see my "bad side" because only then will they really know me. That's why I love to be insulted or called out when I'm wrong. I can probably count the people who know my "bad side" intimately on one hand. But when people like you- and I'm not talking about tolerating you or getting along with you, I'm talking about when they idealize you or are romantically interested in you in any way- they're being fooled. And the less they see you, the more you see yourself. You start to feel like you're acting around them because everything you say could be taken a different way than the way you meant it. And you hate yourself more and more for it but there's nothing you can do because you can't tell them they're wrong.

When asked if I'd rather break someone's heart or be the heart breaker, I always choose the heart breaker because I will always choose guilt over inadequacy. Like John Green said in An Abundance of Katherines:

"The world contains exactly two kinds of people: Dumpers and Dumpees. A lot of people will claim to be both, but those people miss the point entirely: You are predisposed to either one fate or the other. Dumpers may not always be the heartbreakers, and the Dumpees may not always be the heartbroken. But everyone has a tendency."

People who are too morally good for me will always fall for me and I will always somehow end up taking advantage of them. Meanwhile, those who are as "bad" or "selfish" as I am will always blow me off and disappoint me, because that is the nature of being a bad person. That is my love paradox. I know people are more complicated than that- that it's not always predator vs. prey and that we all love and hurt each other in different shades of gray. But that's not the way we feel about things and feelings express their own version of the truth that cannot be denied.

I had this profound example of this shown to me in class, but it is a pretty technical analogy so bear with me while I explain. My German teacher was teaching us the difference between the nominative case and the accusative case in German. In the nominative case, the subject and the direct object are equal. Example: "Die Frau ist da." or "The girl is there". "Girl" and "there" are balanced- they coexist on the same playing field. But in the accusative case, the subject is acting upon the direct object. One is in control while the other is helpless to do anything but receive the action. "Ich esse den Fleisch" or "I eat the meat". The meat is being eaten by me, whether it likes it or not.

My teacher wrote on the chalkboard "Ich liebe dich." (I love you) and said, "This is the ultimate example as anyone who has ever been in love knows. There is no equality in love." One gives while the other receives. It doesn't have to be mutual. You can receive the love I give you, but you can never repay this debt. Because true love is unconditional and demands nothing from the person it is given to. That is why being the predator or the heartbreaker will always leave you feeling just as helpless as the prey or the heartbroken. Their love is greater than you not reciprocating and therefore the Dumper will always be the cowardly one (hence, my current stage of self-loathing).

To end this blog post on an even more depressing note, I'll leave you with another Katherines quote that describes my state of mind at the moment:

"And then he lay there in his fever of sorry and repeated the now memorized note in his head and wanted to cry, but instead he only felt this aching behind his solar plexus. Crying adds something: crying is you, plus tears. But the feeling Colin had was some horrible opposite of crying. It was you, minus something."

Quotes

By: Kelly

"Let me love you, but don't love me back. Do love me and let me hate you for a while. Let me feel like I have some control, because I know I never do. "

"some people fall in love over and over again while some people can only do it once."

"When you can feel someone else's pain and joy as if it's your own, thats when you know you really love them."

"I'm afraid of time... I mean, I'm afraid of not having enough time. Not enough time to understand people, how they really are, or to be understood myself. I'm afraid of the quick judgements or mistakes everybody makes. You can't fix them without time. I'm afraid of seeing snapshots, not movies."

"He wanted to take his love back from her so badly. The old techniques didn’t work anymore. In fact, they’d never worked. How do you stop loving someone? It was one of the world’s more brutal mysteries. The more you tried, the less it worked."

"Maybe happiness didn't have to be about the big, sweeping circumstances, about having everything in your life in place. Maybe it was about stringing together a bunch of small pleasures. Wearing slippers and watching the Miss Universe contest. Eating a brownie with vanilla ice cream. Getting to level seven in Dragon Master and knowing there were twenty more levels to go.

Maybe happiness was just a matter of the little upticks- the traffic signal that said "Walk" the second you go there- and downticks- the itch tag at the back of your collar- that happened to every person in the course of the day. Maybe everybody had the same allotted measure of happiness within each day.

maybe it didn't matter if you were a world-famous heartthrob or a painful geek. Maybe it didn't matter if your friend was possibly dying.

Maybe you just got through it. Maybe that was all you could ask for."

"Why does he have to be my boyfriend? Are you inferior if you don't have a boyfriend? Why does everybody have to be in love with somebody?"

"She glared at him, feeling the old frustration. Sometimes in his presence she felt the deepest connection to him, and other times she felt completely alone-as though any bond to him was her own bitter imagination."

"She realized all at once the deeper thing that bothered her, the thing that made him not just irritating but intolerable: how he kept loving her blindly when she deserved it so little. "

"She had willed her heart to stay small and contained, but it wouldn’t be. Oh, well."

"Different people were good at different things, Lena mused. Lena was good at writing thank-you notes, for instance, and Effie was good at being happy."

"You'll turn out ordinary if you're not careful."

"She was sad about what happened to Kostos. And someplace under that, she was sad that people like Bee and Kostos, who had lost everything, were still open to love, and she, who'd lost nothing, was not."

"Sometimes you couldn’t face the sadness of being forgotten until you felt the comfort of being remembered again."

"How many times could you give up on someone you loved?"

"One's real life is so often the life that one does not lead."

"She was astonished, and at the same time she knew. There were many things in life like that. You couldn’t imagine it, and then it happened and you couldn’t really imagine it hadn’t."

"There was one thing Bridget like about guys. They took insults well."

"Alice suspected Paul couldn’t really picture his father, just like she couldn’t picture Paul when he was away. Maybe that was the case with people you wanted more than was good for you."

GUYS: More Reasons to Feel The Beat

By: Monica

Just a bit of motivation for all you male wallflowers out there :)

http://news.yahoo.com/video/science-15749654/the-science-of-dance-and-mating-21810932

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em

By: Monica

I must start out this post by saying that, compared to Kelly's posts, mine are complete failures. Skydiving? Nicaragua? Quran- burning debates? And here I was just going to talk about my creepy English teacher. I really need some new material. Nonetheless, I promised I would finish my last post, and so I will stick to my word.

11AM- English. The theme is American Regionalism. Shoot me now. My professor is a 22 year old creeper with a goatee, who believes we should give America back to the Native Americans. He is eerily calm and one of those people who doesn't talk much, but who you know thinks nonstop.

There is a Hillary in this class. A boy. And, before class, he was this really cool kid who made conversation with me for half an hour and I thought, "Man, I'm really gonna like this guy." Boy, was I wrong. The second we stepped into that classroom, he transformed into one of those snobby kids that raises their hand to answer every question in great detail, and will go to any lenght to counter the teacher just to impress them. Now, you can imagine, after putting up with this kind of behavior for four years, I was thoroughly sick of it. I decided enough was enough. I had put up with it all through high school and wasn't about to have to deal with it in college. From that day on, I was known as the bitch of English class. Yes, that is my official title. I had figured that the only way to beat someone at their Game is to play it better. So, I raised my hand to answer every question as well. Every time he opened his mouth, I was there to shoot down everything he said. And every time he countered the teacher, I countered him right back. Then the professor would stare at me with this creepy smile on his face and I would ask, "Does that make sense?" and he would say, "Completely. That makes complete sense. You are perfectly right." And then the kid would send me daggers through his eyes. I revelled in it. It brought me the utmost joy. Especially when situations like the following happened:

PROF: "So, what is Mumsford talking about in this paragraph? What does he feel is an important facet to regionalism?"

KID: "The spread of ideas."

PROF: "Uhm... interesting that you say that."

ME: "Actually, isn't it the environment? I mean, he is obviously discussing how the human race must first adapt the surroundings before it can form a culture to represent it's identity."

PROF: "Exactly right! That was the answer I was looking for!" *writes on board* "And, who can tell me where Mumsford lies on this scale between Felsi and Berry?"

ME: "I'd say pretty much down the middle. He shares both opinions but leans neither toward globalization, nor Berry's ridiculous theory of the seperation of the North and the South."

PROF: "Excellent!"

KID: "But, you must agree that Mumsford was indeed inclined to favor globalization over regionalism, can you not?"

ME:" Of course not! Mumsford's definition of Regionalism is clearly a different outlook on today's world than that of Felsi's. Felsi depicts technology at the forefront of this advance to a more connected world. Mumsford vies for human emotion and the connection to the land."

PROF: *creepy smile* "You are completely right, Monica."

No Model UN Monica here. I'm a more well spoken, smarter, less ditzy version of Pakistan. I can also spell better, but that's not much of a milestone. I also make it a point not to speak like Hillary or Pakistan (taking an obvious breath so you can think of words to say). I'm making sure I am always calm and make it sound like I am pointing out the obvious. That is a true sign of intelligence.And I want to break this kid down. I want to make him cry every day after class. Hopefully, one day he will give up his act and I will, only then, back down. Plus, American Regionalism is my forte, for some odd reason. So am able to talk A LOT in that class. Everyone else must hate me. This is not a good way to make friends.

ANYHOO,

12:30- Keyboard. Taught by a Piano performance graduate student who looks like Justene Jaro.

I have about six more classes. None worth mentioning. One consists of listening to German Opera and Jazz for 50 minutes in an auditorium. Another involves my private instructor who never stops smiling like a maniac. I swear, he must have had botox.

I believe this post is long enough, for now. I will update, hopefully tomorrow, again, so that I can list all the quirky nice things that have happened while I was here. I don't talk enough about the good parts.

Skydiving and Football

By: Kelly

Alright I've got to push this one out fast because I have homework to do! (that's what she said)

Skydiving: At first, I was convinced we weren't going to be able to jump at all which I was really disappointed about. Because we ended up leaving really late and Destiny barely knew where we were going, the place wasn't answering their phones, and I thought we were supposed to register in advance. But we drove there anyway even though it was an hour away, and luckily there were people there willing to fly us up which couldn't have been cost-effective because it was just the two of us. However, their team who jumps tandem (when two people jump strapped together with the same parachute) was in Houston so they called one guy who sometimes does it and lives an hour and a half away. He was willing to drive out so while he was on his way, we learned what we were supposed to do (which was very little- less than you need to know for trapeze). This place was basically a converted warehouse, which should have scared me. We watched a five minute tutorial made from the 80's by this guy with the most epic beard I've ever seen (the pictures are on facebook). Then Destiny was like, "I want to wear a cool jumpsuit!" It wasn't required so I wasn't going to, but one of the guys said, "You know, those little tank tops aren't very sturdy up there." And then another guy went, "Dang, why'd you have to go and ruin the video?!"...so I opted for the jumpsuit. There was this lady breast feeding in plain sight and one of the same perverts went, "If a lady's gonna do that she should at least take the other one out for everyone else to enjoy." Yeah, they were really gross... When I told Gary I was a political science major he snorted in disgust (which happens all the time and it pisses me off- I want to make the world a better place damn it, I don't want to be a sleaze ball politician). I asked him what was wrong with that and he sadly said, "You voted for Obama didn't you?" I explained I was too young to vote at the time but told him I interned at a Republican's office to stay on his good side so he wouldn't unbuckle me from the parachute 5,000 feet up.

I offered to go up first because I didn't want to have time to get nervous or think about it. The plane ride was about 20 minutes and on a very small plane. It was me, the pilot, Destiny in the co-pilot's seat, four other jumpers who worked there, and me and my partner. We were all straddling these two long benches on the plane. The whole time everyone kept asking me if I was scared yet, or if reality had set in. But the reason I never got scared at all was because I took it realistically. I knew that people did it every day and that statistically, it was very safe. I trusted Gary, my partner way too much. He was this 60 year old toothless pervert who has the world record for the most "head first" jumps, or something weird like that. So I was very relaxed the entire time and mostly just excited.

Then, they opened the hatch and everyone else jumped out. We were last and we jumped at 13,500 feet. I had to sit on the edge with my feet dangling outside and then we just kind of leaned forward and fell out. That was probably my favorite part because it's like trapeze- jumping off the platform is the most exhilarating part. And then we were free falling for I think about 45 seconds. You could see both coasts and the view was beautiful. It was pretty cold but it felt really good. You know when you stick your hand out of a car window and feel a pillow of air on it? It felt just like that, but on your whole body. It was an awesome feeling. I've always wanted to fly more than anything else in the world, so I feel like I've accomplished my life dream now haha. I was perfectly content with the idea of dying right then; not kidding. It would have been worth it.

The person who was video taping jumped out either before or after me (I don't remember) and during this period he filmed close-ups that look amazing in the video. They're mailing it to my dorm and after I copy it onto my computer, you'll be able to see. I think I drooled all over my chin while I was up there because you literally lose control of yourself up there but thank GOD it isn't visible in the video.

After the first part, he pulled the second chute and that's when I could hear again and it was much slower. We floated down for about twenty minutes and that was when you could really enjoy the view. The first ten minutes were fun because I got to operate the parachute, which works kind of like a sail because you pulled different chords to go left or right by filling it with air. We got to spin and the g-forces on that were pretty intense. Then the last two minutes weren't so fun because the closer you get to the ground, you start to feel more queasy and just want to be on the ground. Plus me and Gary could actually talk then, and that was just weird. I actually felt like I might throw up but it was hardly bad at all. Our landing wasn't perfect; we landed on our knees basically but it didn't hurt or anything.

Then we watched the video and then Destiny went up. I flew up in the co-pilot seat this time and got to wear their headset and hear all of the different transmissions and see the buttons and everything. I also got to fly the plane for a good five minutes which included steering. That was really cool. But then once the jumpers were out of the plane, the pilot basically did a nosedive to get to the ground as fast as possible to save fuel and money. That was worse than the spinning while I was sky diving and the pressure was really intense. I kind of want to learn to fly a plane, but that made me question it a little.

Anyway, overall it was much less extreme and scary than the connotation associated with sky diving. I actually think there might be more of a thrill in trapeze, although it is very different. I don't think I got the full rush most people get because the emotional highs and lows and fear wasn't there but it was still by far one of the coolest things I've ever done. It's unlike anything else out there and it really is just like flying, which is incredible. I'd love to do it again but I'll probably wait a while since it IS expensive. If you pay the package to be trained to do it by yourself it's something like a thousand dollars for 7 jumps (which is way less than if you paid the standard price for each jump) and then after that, it's 10 or 20 dollars for every jump. I REALLY doubt I'll ever do that, but I definitely do plan on doing it again sometime in my life.

Now about the game...Again by sheer luck, I got box seats. I was going to pick up my student ticket and I ran into this girl Savannah who I've met twice. She showed me where to go to pick it up and then a couple hours later she texted me and said "What were you saying about needing another ticket?" I had no idea what she was talking about but I wasn't going to pass up anything free so I said, "I have one but do you have an extra one or something?" And she said, "Well my friend wants a student ticket so you could sell it to her and then sit in my family's box with me for free." So that's what I did! It was really cool because the process to get a box is insane- you have to be a UF alumni, donate millions of dollars, and wait a good ten years for your request to be processed. Her family was this really attractive family with southern accents. I legitimately felt like I was the black kid in the Blindside and they were the family with Sandra Bullock as the mom.

It was incredible how many people were there- 90,000. EVERYTHING was orange and blue and it was awesome hearing the stadium reverberate with yelling and cheering. It was a beautiful day from where I was sitting so I was able to overlook the whole football part of the game. Just kidding, kind of. It was fun to watch but I still will never understand why so many Americans love football. Jumping out of a plane seems much more rational if you ask me. I had my kindle in my bag and the whole time I was just itching to read instead. But I was there for four hours and never got really bored so I must like it on some level. Then Joanna and Danielle slept over in my room and it's really nice having them here- it feels like home.

Anyway, I'm really sorry these have been such boring posts. The writing hasn't been very good but summarizing was about all I could muster right now. Monica, I demand to hear about the rest of your classes!

Nicaragua, Muslims, and Coffee

By: Kelly

Good lord, this is going to be a mammoth of a post. SO MUCH has happened. So much that I'm going to be forced to cut out details, which is almost as hard for me as it would be to cut limbs off of my own children. Let's provide a general outline of what has happened: I'm planning on going to Nicaragua for three weeks in May, I had an after Ramadan feast with a bunch of Muslims, I got a job, I went sky diving, and I got box seats for the first football game. So, FROM THE TOP!

1. Nicaragua- I joined this club on campus called Recurso that is basically a club devoted to all of the topics I discussed in my laureate paper. It's literally the perfect club for me- they talk about aid, microfinance, developing nations, etc. I really didn't want to join a club that has like 300 people in it and is focused on really general topics like "human rights" because it's too impersonal and I would never be really into it. But Recurso only had about 30 people there so it's a nice little niche. And they do trips to Nicaragua every May for three weeks- it's entirely student-run and paid for and they provide direct aid to the people there by building schools, providing medical supplies (used supplies there spill out of trash cans at the only hospital they have), and teaching people how to brush their teeth. There is a trash heap in the center of the city where lots of people live and make a living by scavenging for useful things they can sell. It's the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. I had to apply in order to go because they only accept 25 people but I think my chances are pretty good. It would be great experience for me and would look great on a resume, especially since I might get a job in microfinance or aid someday. I was so giddy after the first meeting and felt so motivated. It's funny how much I worried about finding my place here when I was still in high school- it finds you, as cheesy as that sounds. Any success I have here has nothing at all to do with me and everything to do with luck and incredible opportunities given to me that aren't deserved.

2. Ramadan dinner- Last week, I made plans to eat with my roommate and some of her friends at this "Ramadan's over, let's feasy" dinner at the dining hall. But I ended up eating with the high school group and was coming back to my dorm to tell Natalie I wasn't going to make it. But as I walked up to the dorm, I saw her standing outside with our friend Matt (the one whose girlfriend is at West Point and who watches musicals with us), and John aka Vegetable Boy, looking very desperate (Natalie, not John). I immediately had to evaluate the situation and make a decision. I wasn't going to leave her with two boys so I told them I'd come along even though I had already eaten. So rather than make her look awkward with two guys, we looked like we were on a double date (which was even more awkward, natürlich). Halfway there, as if we needed to look any weirder, we were intercepted by a wizened old Muslim man with a two foot long flowing beard and traditional Muslim garb. He asked us where the dinner was at so we offered to walk with him there (as if we had a choice). He asked me what I thought of the mosque at Ground Zero controversy and the September 11th Qu'ran burning that a sect of the Westboro Baptist Church (godhatesfags.com) is doing here in Gainesville. I told him my plans on protesting it and he asked for my email address so I could sign a petition to create a law that would make it illegal to burn any book (which in my opinion, would impinge on people's rights). Apparently John, being this extreme libertarian, agreed and proceeded to tell this poor man why he was wrong. Before I continue, let me tell you what my roommate saw John doing earlier that day. She was walking through the hall of our building and saw him crouched on the ground picking his own lock with some weird metal device. She asked him if he was locked out and told him he had a few free lock outs before he had to pay for another key. He said "No, my roommate is in there, I just wanted to see how long it would take me." So now I'm terrified he's going to break into my room. He also got suspended from his middle school for hacking the computer database, so this probably isn't a safe medium. He has knocked on our door a couple of times, and every time he has, I freeze in silence and pretend I'm not here until he goes away. Anyway. Then we had dinner and it wasn't TOO weird, mostly just funny. Matt is a swimmer and is built exactly like our friend Steven.

3. School is really easy so far...I mean, I shouldn't say EASY but school is always the same. After fourteen years of it, you get the hang of it really. I spend so little time thinking about the academic aspect of college and it worries me. Still, I know I study more than most people here so I should be okay...and I do have a really relaxed schedule. Which leads me to my next point.

4. I'm 90% sure I have a job!! When I was at the skydiving place, I got a call from Gator Dining, which is the company who runs most of the food places on campus. I applied for a job online in the first week of school but was positive I wouldn't hear back from them, so I was really happy. I'm supposed to go in on Tuesday with my original birth certificate and social security card and discuss which hours I can work. Most likely, it'll be Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays working at a coffee cart. Money is money, so I'm not picky. I also applied for an honors job working in an office on the same days and they want a freshman to do it for pretty much the next four years. They're only hiring one person but if I do get the job, I'll take that one and drop the one I have now. I'm really happy I'll be working regardless because I feel like I waste so much time here and I really want to save money. I want to have a mini goldmine by the time I graduate so I'll be able to go to graduate school or get a nice place to live in, or whatever. Plus I will not feel independent until I am providing for myself, and that drives me crazy.

You know what, I'm going to put sky diving and the game in a separate post. Toodaloo!

Also, I propose we add a segment to every blog listing one thing we miss. This week, I miss Cuban food and music. It's funny because one of the reasons I love my German class so much is because of the little cultural things we learn. I can always identify with them which makes me so happy. Examples: Germans are always early and being on time is considered late. Germans are known for saying, "Hope for the best but expect the worst because then you'll be pleasantly surprised." (Everyone in my class erupted in laughter at this, but I've always thought that way) Germans only ask "How are you?" if they genuinely care. Because if you know the person, they will actually tell you how they are unlike in America, and if you don't they'll think it's weird that you're asking. And that's how it should be I think. Anyway, even though I never associated very much with Latin culture because German culture is the polar opposite in a lot of ways, there are aspects of it that I really miss, like I said. I had good old rice and beans for the first time in ages the other day and it was heaven. And I saw a gangster kid and he ACTUALLY peaked my interest. I guess I couldn't appreciate their swagger as much when I was surrounded by them 24/7 and 99% of them were idiots.

K bye.

Cool Beans!

By: Monica

Usually when I have too much to write, I put off writing as long as I can. The more time between the events and the writing, the less I want to actually write about them. So, I apologize if this post seems watered down or uneventful. It has been a couple of days. Lately, I've been both busy and lazy. Bad combination. I will post a third of my original post because, well, that's all I have done right now. Sorry, I'm slacking. What can I say? I still have to write an essay for English tonight that I could have done earlier today instead of catching up on my Jersey Shore episodes. The rest will come around the weekend when I have all the time in the world.

Let's start with an evaluation of my professors:

8 AM Music Theory- Ms. Seigido is a graduate student majoring in Composition. Now, I respect anyone who is majoring in composition because it is both tedious and unrewarding. Unless you hit it big, of course. However, "hitting it big" with classical composition in today's society requires you to be a male older than fifty, with a beard and a beer belly. Ms. Seigido is none of those things. Quite on the contrary. She's a petite Cuban twenty year old with short black hair, glasses, a thick cuban accent, and the same 90's bellbottom jeans she wears everyday. Her waist is the size of my thigh. Probably smaller, I'm just trying to make myself feel better about that. I've got to say, I quite like her. She's spunky and odd. I once counted the amount of times she said, "Cool Beans!" in a 50 minute period. The result was 26. Yes, it does get annoying. Along with, "Easy Peasy!" and "Sacrilidge!"

10AM Symphony Orchestra- This is, pretty much, the hardest class I am taking in college. You'd think it was th easiest. If I didn't show up, no one would notice. If I fake played, no one would notice. But the pressure these people put on you and the guilt they shovel onto your soul is painful enough to bear. They have no sympathy. No leniency. But, my conductor is the spitting image of the Beast-- Beethoven. That in itself makes me feel like th most accomplished musician on the face of the planet. And his name is Professor Sleeper. WIN.

2:30 Algebra- I can't say much about this class (since it was my first day) except that I have finally found a class where I rock at math. I know, fate has done the impossible.

8AM Skills Ensemble- Another composition graduate sudent! This guy- Dick Dickinson (his parents must have been horrid) - is a pretty cool guy. You can tell he was the nerd in high school that crushed on girls and locked himself in his room listening to Eric Clapton and playing COD. The poor guy is always a bit nervous at the beginning of class as I can see his hands shaking while he speaks. But, like I said, he's one cool dude.

9:30AM Experiencing Music- This professor. Whoa. She had each of us (40 in all) say our name, our principle instrument, where we are from, and one interesting fact about ourselves. It took the entire class period, but we did it. And, at the end, she went down the row and listed everything each one of us said. She is truly otherworldly. The next time we met, she did it again, even though we were seated differently. I like her as well. A bit of a hippie with greasy hair and a strange outlook on life, but she's interesting and that's what's important. I made the mistake of stating I have color graphimic synesthesia as my interesting fact and she told me that I must one day take the time to explain it to thA class. Apparently more people are aware of what that is than I originally thought. I was not left alone the entire day bcause of the bombardment of comments resembling, "I'm so jealous!", etc. Really guys, it's not that cool if you like math. Readers, if you don't know what it is, go look it up. I'm tired of explaining it.

Continued on Saturday. Yes, I have more classes. A lot more.

Schönes Wochenende!

By: Kelly

One thing I was really excited about for college was the fact that I could actually be stylish. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt for the last seven years has taken a bit of a toll on me and I was ready to wear dresses, skirts, etc. That sounds laughable to me now. I mean, tons of girls do it and they all look really cute but for some reason it has completely turned me off from wanting to put any effort into my appearance. Maybe it's all those girls I saw dressed up for rush, I don't know. I keep wanting to walk around like a total slob. Aren’t people supposed to wear sweatpants everywhere in college?! I am going to abide by that tradition even if every other girl here looks like a pageant queen; I really could not care less. I like the hobo chique look. I went to the library for the first time the other day and it now makes my top five favorite spots on campus, which I will now list:

1.Library West- I immediately felt at home. With my mom being a librarian, I grew up in libraries and I know I’m going to be spending a lot of time there. There are SO many books and they smell so good and old and pretty. The shelves go on and on and when I was there, I felt exactly like Harry Potter in the Department of Mysteries when he passes the shelves of prophecies, because each one contains a life and a story (NERD). It was so nice sitting in a comfy chair looking out at the campus beyond the sheets of rain, sipping on my coffee and sneaking pieces of a chocolate chip cookie when no one was looking.

2. 2. The alligator pond- This is right in front of my dorm and is this green mossy pond surrounded by foliage and animal sounds complete with an alligator who sunbathes on the grass every day. I like sitting on the little dock that overlooks it. He is the closest I have to a pet now that I'm away from my dog and Natalie's fish Gerald died. The only downside is having to watch the idiots who walk by and see who can get closest to the alligator without dying.

3. 3. The conservation area- I put a picture of this from my phone on the last post and it’s my favorite walk to take. I also like reading at some picnic tables there because it’s very secluded. I plan on reading Mockingjay there because I’ll feel like I’m in the hunger games with the surrounding environment.

4. 4. “The Swamp” aka our stadium- It’s overwhelmingly blue and orange and humongous and a great place to work out (or so I’ve heard) and just contemplate life (what you’ll actually catch me doing). Unfortunately I’ll probably only ever be there when it’s deserted because I didn’t win football tickets but I REALLY want to find some somehow because even though I don’t care about football, I still think it’d be a lot of fun.

5. 5. Every single food place here- Mochi, Home Zone, Chipotle, Moe’s, Steak and Shake, etc. The food here is fantastic.

Now let’s talk about my weekend! Friday night I went over to Destiny’s apartment which is reallyyy nice. She’s a great host and fed us tons of food. I can be such a baby sometimes because it was so comforting to me having someone act like a mom, even if she is my age. I know how pathetic that is.

The thing is though, you know how Rebecca always used to call that group of kids the All-American Squad? And how even though we love them all it can get a tiny bit annoying? Well, I’m almost at that point because they want to hang out EVERY DAY. I have received more text messages since being here than I have in my entire life. It’s the exact opposite of what I expected. I thought I’d have to go out and find friends through a really excruciating process but instead I've been juggling different invitations and trying to include everyone. I’m really not complaining though, just surprised by how effortless everything has been so far. And yes, I sound like the world's biggest douche. Whatever.

At one point on Friday night I went in Destiny’s room to call you, and before I did I overheard Destiny’s older, glamorous roommate Rocio gossiping to her friends about Destiny and Helga. She was talking about how innocent and naïve they are and how “Destiny is chill and has potential because she’s up for anything (meaning smoking and rolling with them) while Helga is a lost cause” (which is kind of ironic considering five minutes before Helga had excitedly told me how they used to have a book on their coffee table with all of the sex positions). It made my stomach drop a little because although 90% of the time I’m really confident in who I am and the decisions I make, every now and then I’ll doubt myself like any normal person. Like I know that there is nothing particularly abnormal or wrong with never wanting to get plastered but occasionally people like Rocio make me feel like a child. I wonder, “Am I just being a chicken? Should I just push myself to explore things just for fun and to gain experience?” But really, it’s not a matter of being scared. I really just have no interest in it whatsoever. I don’t know. It’s just funny how you go through life and you never really know what you’re doing and you never really feel grown-up, ever.

Then on Saturday I rediscovered my superhuman academic self (apparently my worries were unfounded and senioritis did not eat away all of my perfectionistic tendencies, just the toxic ones. It actually cleansed me haha) and did almost all of my homework for the week. It’s funny because I will feel incredibly behind until I’m at least a week ahead in homework. I have this urgent impulse that won't go away until I'm finished.

Anyway, that morning my roommate made crepes with her friends Michael and Julie and so I got a delicious breakfast of thin pancakes, bananas, and nutella. Then that evening, I heard a knock on the door and lo and behold, it was the John kid I mentioned in my last post. He awkwardly stood there and said, “I was wondering if you wanted some vegetables.” I kind of stared at him blankly for a few seconds because I was trying to process who would ask that type of a question so he explained, “I bought a bunch and the recipe I’m using has portions for more than one person.” So I said sure and that I’d be right out. I came out and found him cooking them in the kitchen with legit ingredients like cumin and soy sauce. I stood there for like five minutes before he was like, “You don’t have to wait out here if you don’t want to”. So I went back to my room and told him to knock when it was ready. My roommate came back so I told her the story and we were hysterically laughing when he knocked. We were laughing so hard though that I didn’t hear him so while Natalie was screaming “WHO THE F*** DOES THAT?!”, he was yelling obliviously from outside that it was ready. I bravely made my way to the common area trying desperately to keep a straight face. The squash and zucchini was actually really good. Let me just point out that this was the second time in one day someone had cooked for me, so for the hundreds of guys out there who have told me I need domestic skills to be a proper woman, suck it.

The conversation however, was just as bad as last time. We discussed jury nullification, Andrew Jackson’s secret libertarian plan, mankind’s inborn ability to understand physics through evolutionary psychology, the short-lived presidency of William Henry Harrison, the revolving door of politics, Atlas Shrugged, the flaws of Das Kapital, our bloated military bureaucracy, and many other things. All within a 20 minute period. As I complained to Monica over facebook chat, “He was SO dry” (NOT that’s what she said). Afterwards, I went back to my room and five minutes later, heard another knock. I opened the door and there he was, brandishing a knife. I was about to slam the door in his face until he said, “You forgot your knife.” Oy vey, I have some interesting characters on my floor (For example we also have a kid who juggles while he runs every day. I am not joking.) But hey, at least I’m staying healthy and eating my fruits and veggies. I’m not one to complain. Natalie and I are planning on having a pumpkin delivered to his room on April Fool’s Day.

So then last night, I hung out with a bunch of Natalie’s friends in their dorm and we spent a few hours passing around each others’ cell phones and reading the drunk texts from their friends. They consisted of things like, “I go thai patty and heap foxy” and “e broski aol disobey phone”. It was hilarious. One of them took a shower with his clothes on when he got back and wandered around the entire campus before making it back to the dorm and another kid was practically crying when we locked him in the bathroom because he thought he was in a dungeon. This reminds me of why I should not feel like a loser for not drinking. Still, I might go next time they go to a party just to see what it’s like in college (the high school ones did not impress me) and laugh at everyone. I'm almost positive it'll just be like a one time thing though.

And Natalie’s friends are all really nice. I’d feel comfortable going to a party with them. One of the guys, Matt, has a girlfriend at West Point and I feel really bad because while all of his buddies are out partying, he hangs out with us while we sing Disney songs, read Cosmo, and watch Chicago. But he’s a really sweet kid and a good sport and I know he and the other guys who don’t drink, Keith and Joe, would make sure we were okay if we went to a party. It's so weird being around genuinely attractive, decent guys. Also, all of them are Catholic and go to Mass together every weekend. I might go one week just to see what it’s like because even though I’m Protestant, I don’t have any scruples about trying something a little different.

My roommate just brought me some delicious hot tea that tastes like Christmas. I feel like I got the much better bargain in this roommate situation compared to what I have to offer to her…which is basically nothing. Anyway, now that I’m FINALLY caught up on most of my homework I’m going to catch up on Jersey Shore and read Mockingjay. Schönes Wochenende! (Okay, so that means have a beautiful weekend which doesn't really make sense considering the weekend is over, but I'm so excited that I've started thinking in German that I do not care. I've got my first quiz tomorrow; wish me luck)

Misc.

By: Kelly

Whew. It's been a while, or it feels like it anyway. This is literally the first time I've had a chance to blog since Monday and even now I have a million other things I should be doing but I'm too tired and need a break. Since I have a bunch of miscellaneous things to share, let's make this a bullet post. Everyone likes bullets right?

• First off- German. My professor is a grad student who might be attractive but I can't tell because he has a really bushy beard (ew). He's pretty built though. Anyway, I love that class because despite what most people think, it is such a beautiful and interesting language. I can't wait to actually speak it in Germany some day. Today we listened to German hip hop to learn popular abbreviations in Germany. The song is really funny if you know what the abbreviations are short for; it's mainly about drugs.
• I dropped my American literature class after the first day...The teacher was kind of a bitch, we had to read 55+ pages of reading a night, and I wasn't really interested in the material. I've met all my English credit requirements so there was no point to me reading like ten books about minorities (after I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Invisible Man, I am all racism'd out). I don't care if that is offensive or politically incorrect. The great thing is, I now only have one class Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and am done by 11:40.
• My comparative politics class is a huge lecture hall style class which I'm kind of happy about because it'll be a new experience. Everyone I know is blown away by how many people are here, but I honestly thought there would be more. Quantities never really impress me; I guess because I can't grasp how huge they are (that's what she said).
• I really love using my kindle for the books I have to read for that class because I can highlight, take notes, and look up definitions on it all with one click. I highly recommend it everyone.
• The whole "Wow this is so collegiate" thought crossed my mind for the first time today as I was walking across campus. The funny thing is, I feel like I've been pretending to be a college student for so long now that it doesn't feel new or unusual. I came up with my first "college student trick" today. I had leftover food from Applebees that I didn't want to eat but couldn't throw away because it would stink up the room, so what did I do? Used the toilet as a garbage disposal. Pretty innovative, right?
• I have never walked so much in my life. Like you know that clock the Weasleys have? (I don't know if it's in the movies) The one where the hand points to whatever location you are at? Mine would point at "In transit" like 25% of the time. I don't even want to think about how much time I waste with it. I haven't minded it yet because they're nice/pretty walks and give me time to think but eventually I'll probably want to figure out the bus system so I can at least read or something.
• My history professor seems really nice; I think she's going to be my favorite. She treats us with so much respect and she seems really enthusiastic about history which is good. The class is on the Crusades which I was really disappointed in before, but she makes it sound like it will be really interesting. Monica, she actually reminds me a lot of Samantha in looks and personality (in a good way).
• I really like how everyone "does their own thing" here. Like, it's no big deal to study/eat by yourself. I always LIKED doing that and now I can without people thinking I'm some kind of freak.
• Today at lunch, this BEAUTIFUL boy sat next to me. I didn't say two words to him though because it was one of those instances where it was better to just let the mystery continue rather than ruin it with small talk.
• I ate dinner with Justin today (heute, in German) at this luau thing and he is so much funnier/more talkative than I gave him credit for.
• Not only do I miss different ethnicities, but I miss age differences. Like every time I see an old person or a baby, I grin like a maniac. It's disturbing. Same with dogs; I could barely keep myself from petting a seeing eye dog I saw earlier even though I knew fully well you aren't supposed to do that.
• My wildlife issues class is going to be good I think. As I mentioned on facebook, my professor (who reminds me A LOT of Coach Barr with his crotchety, dry humor) basically said "Our next class is canceled. Skip class whenever; I don't take attendance. You can answer your phones, just go outside. We're watching movies every other class. The final exam is optional. Now get out of here." Plus, my friend took this class already and gave me a stack of *cough cough* notes so praise Allah for that.
• Our mascot "Albert" the alligator proposed to me and made me kiss him. When I told him I loved him so he would go away, he clutched his heart and fell on the ground. All 500 freshman waiting in line for free pizza were staring and laughing. Oh yeah, I'm quite the playa here at UF.
• Destiny quit rushing which I was happy about because now we have more time to hang out (which equates to, now when I want to go off campus I don't have to risk my life in Jake's car).
• Last night we had a floor meeting where we got lectured about drugs and alcohol. We also had to fill out a questionnaire with our roommate to avoid conflict. One of the questions was, "How will you approach your roommate about an issue?" A. Talk about it B. Use a special signal C. Go to your RA or D. Ignore it. We obviously chose special signal, so now we have an entire coding system. Mildly annoyed equals casual dance move (the robot, disco, shopping cart, etc.), pissed off equals more intense dance move (salsa, moshing, booty dancing, etc.) and incredibly angry equals all out crumping/break dancing. Very subtle, you know.
• After the meeting I talked to this kid John about all sorts of things. He was a libertarian and hugely into expressing his opinion about anything that could be deemed intellectual. He spent like an hour name dropping all of these famous thinkers and books while I continually matched him name for name just to annoy him and show him he wasn't the smartest kid on campus (because he clearly thought he was and was one of those kids who loves the sound of their own voice). We literally went back and forth talking about net neutrality, nation building, Islamic restrictions in Africa, the psychology of economics in the food industry, and female circumcision while the rest of the people in the common room eavesdropped in what was probably horror. Oh, college. It is the only place I will overhear a bunch of kids arguing about Zerg. I actually really miss stupid people. Smart kids just aren't anywhere near as fun to laugh at...
• Tomorrow I've got four classes, a job fair, and a church event to go to, and I have to find time for laundry so it'll be a busy day.
• I THINK that's it for now. I need to read Mockingjay and catch up on my tv shows but I'll most likely just end up studying for another three hours. Miss you :(