Feather Boas and Vodka

So apparently I am the worst blogger ever. I'm pretty sure that what it comes down to is that my life is ridiculously boring. I am still sitting in this wicker/metal desk chair. I went to Miami two weeks ago for Tesha's "bachette" (I am still not sure what this word means, but Beth tells me it's the most appropriate term). It was some of the most fun I have had all year! A few highlights include:

1. A toursity trip to Miami Ink (which is not as exciting as one might imagine)

2. Spending $93 on a single drink at the coldest club in America
3. Suntanning that resulted in the most interesting/confusing sunburn I have ever had in my life

4. Being in charge of the quote book, a job I took a little too seriously (I was almost injured multiple times due to writing while walking)
5. Tesha's blinking crotch button
6. Being told I have a fat ass (and subsequently being serenaded with Sir Mixalot's "I Like Big Butts") while walking to the hotel alone.

It was so relaxing/fun to spend a weekend not having to worry about anything except laying out and getting crunked. I haven't laughed that hard in a while. I hope for a repeat this weekend in Bolingbrook, IL!

Scoliosis

I have the most uncomfortable desk chair in America, and the best part is I must spend at least 40 hours a week sitting in this thing. Let me paint a picture for you....

It's made of wicker and metal. I mean really, that's all you need to know. Yes, my desk chair is made of the two most uncomfortable materials on the face of the planet. Not only do I sustain a bruise everytime I lean back on this thing, but I also have permanent indentations in my thighs from the wicker. Actually I just looked at the seat of my chair and in reality it may be bamboo or perhaps a synthetic blend of wicker and bamboo. Either way it's essentially torture. No wonder my productivity is at an all time low. I might as well be sitting on a rock, or a seat of nails.

Craig often tells me about how it's crucial to have an ergonomic workstation...whatever that means. Apparently my chair is supposed to be at a certain height and angle and I'm supposed to have a keyboard that forces my hands to tilt at just the right degree or else my spine will be crooked for the rest of my life. I should probably start with a new chair. Then maybe I can begin to address the overwhelming heat that radiates from my laptop and makes my wrists sweat profusely.

Amy WHYnehouse...

So honestly, I have not really watched an awards show in its entirety in a really long time. They usually do not sustain my attention. I really just think that they could last an hour or two, instead of 3.5, but this is America and celebrities are what we love!

Last night I watched most of the Grammy's -- some parts were muted because I was also studying and Aretha Franklin, though a gifted gospel singer, can be quite distracting! I think what really sustained my attention for that long was my desire to find the answer to the question I had been pondering ALL night, "Do people ACTUALLY like and respect Amy Winehouse?" First, I must say that I do not keep up on pop culture at all, and pretty much my most recent impression of Amy Winehouse was a You Tube video of her smoking some illegal substance, which I briefly saw on the news. By now I know better than to make snap judgments about people based on snippets of information provided by the media, but really....clearly, she was smoking something last night.

So here are my questions, which I have already posed to some of my most trusted and closest friends (who are also the only people who read this). If you have randomly stummbled across my blog, "Hello!" and feel free to leave your opinion:

Do people actually like Amy Winehouse? If so, why? Additionally, what exactly might be wrong with her? I mean, other than her apparent drug problem and intense denial, which ironically resulted in a Grammy win for best song of the year! I guess it does have a catchy beat....?

I can just imagine the possibility of teenagers using drugs and alcohol and refuting their parents' argument against such substance abuse with "Amy Winehouse smokes crack and won 5 Grammy's!"

Really, I understand that celebrities are under a great deal of pressure. I might go nuts if I had that much attention on me all of the time, but this is what they wanted, right? If you're going to be a public figure of any kind, it's your responsibility to act responsibly. Don't they get that people are watching them? That kids and teenagers are influenced by them?

I guess most people don't really get it because Amy Winehouse was rewarded with multiple Grammy's last night despite her behavior...

I like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift.

Frantics...

Um, grad school is hysterical. I mean, I can't speak for all grad school, but if you're working towards or have earned a doctorate in clinical psychology, you know what I'm talking about. Seriously, a reality t.v. show could be made from this experience. But I suppose that's not saying much. After all, Flavor of Love season 100 is about to air....

Really though... most days I go through my usual routine and do not really think too much about it, but there are times when I get a spare moment and the inevitable question that pops into my mind is "what am I doing?"

This just happened to me right now as I am frantically typing, printing, and stuffing envelopes with 15+ cover letters, C.V.'s, work samples, rec letters, and transcripts (Yes, I know that applying for internship is way worse). It happened last night when I was frantically attempting to memorize the steps of chemical neurotrasmission. It will happen on Friday morning when I am trudging through the snow, ice, and slush to bring these 15+ manila envelopes to my least favorite place in the entire world....the post office (ugh!). And once I get there, I will be frantic about whether or not the postal worker is REALLY weighing each envelope individually, so that correct postage can be calculated. Then she'll probably yell at me (it's a rule that someone MUST yell at me during every trip to the post office) and I'll spend the weekend worrying about whether or not the envelopes will make it (as I frantically memorize more principles of chemical neurotransmission, while simultaneously administering the Rorschach).

You see, everything that I do must be done frantically or else it will never get done in time. Most of the time I feel like I'm running from place to place in much the same way as Phoebe did in that one episode of friends. At times I view the things I am doing from an outsider's perspective...that's when I don't get it. That's when I ask, "what am I doing?" But sometimes I get completely inside of myself where there are no loans to be paid off or completely asinine assignments to be done. Those are the moments when I know why I am doing this. Those are the times when I feel the freedom and joy that Phoebe felt in that episode; running towards the greatest accomplishment of my life, and the thing that I am most passionate about.

But it only gets more frantic from here on out...Year 4 is quickly approaching. At least I'll have some good stories to tell my children (and my 3 blog-readers)

A Lesson in Blogging (and other things)

Okay....

This is officially my first blog post ever. Since I probably wouldn't even know what "blogging" is if it weren't for Case Cun-el, I think it is only appropriate that I dedicate this "post" to her (as you can see I am not yet comfortable with the blog lingo, hence the frequent "quotation marks").

Well, "blogging" is far from the only thing that Cayce has taught/given me in the past 2.5 years, and just think...I might have missed it all, if it had not been for that fateful Kerryman/Hang Up night. So here's the abbrievated list of things I may not have learned had Cayce and I not both ended up at Roosevelt. Though I'm pretty sure our paths would have crossed at some other place and time anyway....

1. It's completely fine to fly to Italy for the weekend...

2. North, South, East, and West (she was instrumental in helping me learn my cardinal directions)

3. It's not a very good idea to attend an "all you can drink" event that starts at 6pm -- you'll be home and in bed by 8.

4. NEVER steal cans of Red Bull from behind the bar -- the bartender will yell at you and your friend will never drink them anyway.

5. If you put some concealer on your lips before applying your lipstick, it stays on longer (I don't wear lipstick, but if I ever do, I'll remember this!)

6. The Rock 'N Roll McDonalds is THE place for making all important life decisions.

7. In Texas, brides get all dressed up, as if it were their actual wedding day, and get pictures taken a few weeks prior to actually tying the knot. Additionally, there is something called a "house party," which I'm not sure exactly what they do, but I want one!

8. School is important but you also need to have fun -- you can't let it eat up your social life!

9. I will survive comps, dissertation, and applying for internship -- Cayce is my inspiration and helps keep my anxiety at a minimum.

10. It is possible to maintain friendships despite distance and all other challenges. I admire Cayce's ability to keep in touch with and support all of the MANY friends she has around the country! (she's totally pop)

Though there are many more things I could add, I'll stop with this. The gist of it is that the thought of Cayce living somewhere else next year kind of makes me barf (good thing for #10). But this lady is going places...and she's destined to teach others like she has taught me.

Ah, my first "post" is complete! Did I do it right?

I'll have to ask Cayce...