I can't believe I'm going to Germany on Tuesday! It's so soon! I think a lot of my anxiety over the trip finally left me and now I am pretty much stoked!
There is so much to do when you are leaving for 3 weeks. I mean, compared to people who travel for months, 3 weeks is nothing. But for me, it's a long enough time to where I have to prepare all of my bills, etc. It also comes at a time where I have to make sure everything is set up correctly with school (i.e.- I still need to do my FAFSA, check final grades, etc.).
And what does one pack for 3 weeks? I have a 50 lb limit on my suitcase and a 40 lb limit on my carry on that I am sharing with my grandma. We're foregoing shampoo, etc. I figure we can buy those heavy things when we get there, since we'll use a lot of it in 3 weeks. We are staying with family so I guess I can wash clothes, but I don't know what I'll need for 3 whole weeks of outings!
What's a must have for you when traveling?
Friday Five:
1. What is your favorite section of the newspaper?
I'll admit it...I read the write in sections (i.e.- Dear ____, my husband left me and I'm sad. Do you think that I should call him?). For some reason those always make me laugh. Guess I shouldn't be enjoying other people's misfortune, eh? I also enjoy reading the local section to see what is going on around here. I leave national news up to the internet.
2. Sunday comics or weekday strips? Which comic is your favorite?
I don't typically read comics, though I do like the one that is always in a circle with the 2 kids....
3. Do you read your daily horoscope? Do you believe in it?
Yes I read it, not on a daily basis, and no I don't really believe it. I think it has to do with the concept of a self fulfilling hypothesis, than being able to predict your day. That's what being a Comm major does to you.... Though I totally fit the description of a Pisces, just saying.
4. Does the paper become bird cage lining, do you recycle, or does it get thrown in the trash?
We throw it in the trash....my town doesn't recycle. :( Though my aunt did wrap a present with some the other day!
5. Where do you read the paper? At home, at work, or elsewhere?
Typically at home, occasionally at school.
^I love doing those. Don't judge me! :)
<3
END
Friday, May 6, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
ten on tuesday
1. What is the weather like in your city today?
Unfortunately rainy. I just got out of the shower and realized it was thundering-- I never take showers in thunderstorms. oops.
2. Do you like the zoo?
Not on a regular basis, but going every now and then is okay.
3. Do you eat coconut?
Coconut flakes no, never tried fresh coconut.
4. Have you ever hammered a nail? Are you good at it?
No and my guess would be no.
5. Does your family have a vacation destination that you visit often?
No. :(
6. How many pillows do you sleep with?
I have about 6 on my bed, I usually sleep with 2-5 of them, depending on the night ha.
7. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Check my phone. Sad but true.
8. Will you send your kids to summer camp?
Probably not for the whole summer but for a week or two. I always kind of wished I had done something like that, though maybe I would have hated it at the time.
9. What do you put in your baked potatoes?
Butter and sour cream, mmmmm.
10. Did you take swimming lessons as a kid?
Yes! Sadly, while I can get from point A to point B just fine, I don't feel like I'm a good swimmer. Or at least I don't have good form.
<3
END
Unfortunately rainy. I just got out of the shower and realized it was thundering-- I never take showers in thunderstorms. oops.
2. Do you like the zoo?
Not on a regular basis, but going every now and then is okay.
3. Do you eat coconut?
Coconut flakes no, never tried fresh coconut.
4. Have you ever hammered a nail? Are you good at it?
No and my guess would be no.
5. Does your family have a vacation destination that you visit often?
No. :(
6. How many pillows do you sleep with?
I have about 6 on my bed, I usually sleep with 2-5 of them, depending on the night ha.
7. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Check my phone. Sad but true.
8. Will you send your kids to summer camp?
Probably not for the whole summer but for a week or two. I always kind of wished I had done something like that, though maybe I would have hated it at the time.
9. What do you put in your baked potatoes?
Butter and sour cream, mmmmm.
10. Did you take swimming lessons as a kid?
Yes! Sadly, while I can get from point A to point B just fine, I don't feel like I'm a good swimmer. Or at least I don't have good form.
<3
END
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
anxiety, ocd and flights
I've never been one to have anxiety issues. Well....maybe I have. I'm pretty paranoid walking to my car in the dark, and I'll admit that sometimes I check my closet to make sure my room is clear (of monsters? of people? I don't even know of what!). And...I'm terrified of needles and blood. The list could possibly go on. But these issues have never taken over my life, nor have they ever been evident enough for me to really notice.
I also can be kind of OCD at times. Not like "oh haha I think I'm OCD right now," but truly OCD. To where I feel like if I don't do something a certain number of times (or more importantly, a certain way), something just feels off. Now I don't feel like if I don't do something a certain way that something terrible is going to happen, but like I said, things just don't feel "right." I think this runs in my family. It's quite the annoying thing to have sometimes, but hey, definitely not the worst thing, or case for that matter, to have.
All of this is just background info for my recent experiences.
I am going to Germany in 1 week. I have only flown four times in my life (two round trips), and each trip has been under 3 hours. I am so anxious about this trip. I keep telling myself to calm down, that nothing is going to happen and I am being irrational. I know that I'm being irrational-- I am one of the most rational people in the world! Yet I am steadily dreading this take off. I think the fact that we are going over an ocean, for 9 hours, is adding to my anxiety over the flight. It probably didn't help that I just read the recent article about how they found parts of that Air France plane that went down in the Atlantic 2 years ago.....
You better believe my anxiety is not going to stop me from seeing the world, but why does anxiety need to exist? What good does it really do us?
I noticed today that I was having A LOT of issues with OCD-like symptoms at work. I felt like the issue was taking over my mind more than usual. Thankfully I was able to relate it to my recent anxiety quickly and therefore I could take a step back, breathe and recover. It is interesting to me how one problem can magnify another so quickly. I wish I understood the human brain better.
I truly feel for people who live with these problems everyday of their life. I hope that I am able to continue living without these problems harassing me on a daily basis. I figure this shouldn't be hard since I'm a fairly carefree person, but who would have thought I'd have such a bad feeling about my trip to Germany?! So far I guess I've been lucky.
I'm going to look at the positive in this situation, and be thankful for the fact that these are small issues that I experience very rarely. They are thankfully also very controllable.
What kind of issues do you battle and how do you cope with them?
<3
END
I also can be kind of OCD at times. Not like "oh haha I think I'm OCD right now," but truly OCD. To where I feel like if I don't do something a certain number of times (or more importantly, a certain way), something just feels off. Now I don't feel like if I don't do something a certain way that something terrible is going to happen, but like I said, things just don't feel "right." I think this runs in my family. It's quite the annoying thing to have sometimes, but hey, definitely not the worst thing, or case for that matter, to have.
All of this is just background info for my recent experiences.
I am going to Germany in 1 week. I have only flown four times in my life (two round trips), and each trip has been under 3 hours. I am so anxious about this trip. I keep telling myself to calm down, that nothing is going to happen and I am being irrational. I know that I'm being irrational-- I am one of the most rational people in the world! Yet I am steadily dreading this take off. I think the fact that we are going over an ocean, for 9 hours, is adding to my anxiety over the flight. It probably didn't help that I just read the recent article about how they found parts of that Air France plane that went down in the Atlantic 2 years ago.....
You better believe my anxiety is not going to stop me from seeing the world, but why does anxiety need to exist? What good does it really do us?
I noticed today that I was having A LOT of issues with OCD-like symptoms at work. I felt like the issue was taking over my mind more than usual. Thankfully I was able to relate it to my recent anxiety quickly and therefore I could take a step back, breathe and recover. It is interesting to me how one problem can magnify another so quickly. I wish I understood the human brain better.
I truly feel for people who live with these problems everyday of their life. I hope that I am able to continue living without these problems harassing me on a daily basis. I figure this shouldn't be hard since I'm a fairly carefree person, but who would have thought I'd have such a bad feeling about my trip to Germany?! So far I guess I've been lucky.
I'm going to look at the positive in this situation, and be thankful for the fact that these are small issues that I experience very rarely. They are thankfully also very controllable.
What kind of issues do you battle and how do you cope with them?
<3
END
Monday, May 2, 2011
Osama's death
"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that"
-- Martin Luther King, Jr. *update- this apparently is the incorrect quote. regardless, i still like it.
Last night when I saw the news and the millions of facebook statuses about Bin Laden's death, I immediately felt as if I was unpatriotic because I was unwilling to rejoice at his death. In all honestly, the facebook statuses and news broadcasts were really getting on my nerves. I mean, I know that he was a main target of the United States for a decade. I know that he killed many, many US citizens. I know that this is a big accomplishment for us. I know this is why we have our soldiers overseas right now. I know he probably deserved death for what he did (however, last time I checked, we aren't living in an "eye for an eye" society right?). But somehow, I just can't bring myself to say things like "YES, I HOPE HE ROTS IN HELL" or "THANK GOD HE IS DEAD." I believe that people feel patriotic in saying these things, but as Americans is this really how we should portray ourselves? I don't really know.
One facebook status said what I was thinking. That is, to celebrate justice, not death. Instead of rejoicing in the fact that this human being is no longer alive, rejoice in the fact that he can no longer terrorize. Rejoice in the fact that our efforts were not in vain. Rejoice in something aside from death.
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." --John Donne
I wish there was more love in the world. I wish hate didn't exist. Unfortunately, we would not know love without hate, or life without death. Hate and death are inevitable; however, I wish we could together learn to rejoice more in life and in love.
<3
END
-- Martin Luther King, Jr. *update- this apparently is the incorrect quote. regardless, i still like it.
Last night when I saw the news and the millions of facebook statuses about Bin Laden's death, I immediately felt as if I was unpatriotic because I was unwilling to rejoice at his death. In all honestly, the facebook statuses and news broadcasts were really getting on my nerves. I mean, I know that he was a main target of the United States for a decade. I know that he killed many, many US citizens. I know that this is a big accomplishment for us. I know this is why we have our soldiers overseas right now. I know he probably deserved death for what he did (however, last time I checked, we aren't living in an "eye for an eye" society right?). But somehow, I just can't bring myself to say things like "YES, I HOPE HE ROTS IN HELL" or "THANK GOD HE IS DEAD." I believe that people feel patriotic in saying these things, but as Americans is this really how we should portray ourselves? I don't really know.
One facebook status said what I was thinking. That is, to celebrate justice, not death. Instead of rejoicing in the fact that this human being is no longer alive, rejoice in the fact that he can no longer terrorize. Rejoice in the fact that our efforts were not in vain. Rejoice in something aside from death.
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." --John Donne
I wish there was more love in the world. I wish hate didn't exist. Unfortunately, we would not know love without hate, or life without death. Hate and death are inevitable; however, I wish we could together learn to rejoice more in life and in love.
<3
END
...took up blogging?
I've always been one to hold on tight to the memories. Don't get me wrong, I love to live in the present and surely look forward to the future, but when times are tough, memories bring me back.
I started this blog in an attempt to capture some of my experiences starting with summer of 2011 and continuing until, well, whenever I get tired of this. Hopefully this blog will 'remember' some of the things I may forget in a few years, so that those memories can live on as well.
<3
END
I started this blog in an attempt to capture some of my experiences starting with summer of 2011 and continuing until, well, whenever I get tired of this. Hopefully this blog will 'remember' some of the things I may forget in a few years, so that those memories can live on as well.
<3
END
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