Vacay!

This post will be in list-thought order because I don't have much to say on any one topic.

Yay! I finally made it to today, and my vacation officially starts when I get on a plane in about 6 hours. I'm headed first to Louisiana to visit my best friend, who I've known since we were in elementary school. Then, I'll head over to my hometown which isn't that far from where my friend lives.

This week has been alright so far. I had two mid-terms and hopefully I did well on them. I think I did okay. I HOPE I DID OKAY!

I really like this new guy that I've only had one date with, Pilot (I decided to name him something since his name starts with S like most of the people I know! haha). He's been texting me every day and when I talked to him last night, he said he would miss me while I'm gone. Awww.

I'm going to try to get to a computer over the next week and a half, but I'll probably be posting less than usual, if at all.

Enjoy your weekend, blog friends!

Frienemies

Since I'm trying to be a big girl about what happened with my friend(s) last weekend, I decided to rant about it here instead of holding a grudge.

For starters, one of my good friends forgot my birthday altogether. She still hasn't acknowledged it, 3 days later. This is the same friend who I MADE DINNER FOR ON HER BIRTHDAY exactly one month ago! Cooked, bought a present for, went out to a sporting event with...on her birthday!

Moving on...my other friend, who I consider a best friend, who planned my party with me, helped me write the facebook invitation, replied that she was (obviously) coming, had bought candles, party hats, was bringing my "birthday princess" pin that we pass around our group of friends, did not show up until my party was over.

We were planning on all riding together since she lives right beside me, but it kept getting later and later, and she still wasn't ready, so I left with some other friends, assuming she was right behind us. We get to the party location, and I get a text from her saying she wasn't feeling well and would join us a little later (an hour, tops, I'm thinking). I texted her saying 'I hope you feel better. Come when you can.' Numerous unanswered texts, from me to her, and 3 hours later, she and her boyfriend show up, drunk. (She told me she had been drinking at home, alone, and didn't want to drive to her BEST FRIEND'S party alone, so she had waited for said bf) We had already finished my cake with no candles and were getting ready to leave. Because I was having a great time already, I just let the whole situation roll of my shoulder and I danced with her a little while and then we all left to continue the party elsewhere. I was going to be the big person and not let it get to me.

Jump to today: I go on facebook to discover pictures of my friend and her bf at SOMEONE ELSE'S b-day party (it wasn't even their b-day DAY like me) the night of mine (wearing the same clothes, etc) and they were WEARING MY PARTY HATS! AND the guy whose b-day party it was was WEARING MY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS PIN!!!!!! Are you kidding me??

So, she lied to me, lied some more, and then acted like everything was fine. No apologies for being late; nothing. I don't really know where to go from here with her. Part of me just wants to write her off completely. This is not okay. But, I don't want to be that person.

Should I confront her? Ask for an explanation? I don't know. I'm at a loss here. Big time.

People are always disappointing me. I guess I just try to see the good in people, but when you look at the world that way, you are always going to get let down.

So, this was the low point of my weekend. And it was a really. low. point.

My B-day Weekend

I am now officially one year older. I had such a great birthday weekend! We had a party planned for Saturday night at an ice skating rink and the adjacent bar/grill. There was a big turnout and a lot of my friends brought other friends, which made it so much more fun!

We decided to drink a little first and then go skating, you know, to make it more interesting! I had two beers and a birthday shot of lemon drop and I was ready to go! My skating tactic is to go as fast as I can, without falling. I never did and I bet if there was a speedometer on my person, it would have read at least 15 mph! Actually, only one guy in our group fell at all. I was getting pretty sweaty from all the skating and it was getting late, so we decided to go back over to the bar and have some cake that we brought from home. By then, the live band had started and they were sooo good! They played a huge variety of songs and although they were an unlikely group (all older, one blonde female lead singer and a big black guy on the guitar), they were terrific! We ate cake and I blew out my matchbook that was lit on fire (there were no candles due to my best friend not showing up yet with them...sore subject!). After one more drink, the group split up and some people went to a country bar across town, while a few of my friends and I went back to my place to continue the party. We had some more drinks and listened to music and watched funny youtube videos on my slow computer. I finally got to bed around 4 or 5 in the morning.

It was such a great day! I even met a new potential guy. More on that later!

Dream, dream, dream, dream, dre-e-e-e-eam

This is very similar to what my dream bathroom would look like. Big claw tub, lots of light from giant windows, and look!--snow outside!! I would so adore a nice hot bath in this very bathroom right now, with no stress, some English breakfast black tea with vanilla soy milk, and my pandora selections playing in the background amidst the scent of lavender vanilla.

I would love to retreat to dreamland right now and design every room of my imaginary house, but I still have a ton of work to get finished before my Spring Break starts next Wednesday afternoon. I am basically counting down the hours. This break is especially nice because I get to fly somewhere instead of drive. I will admit, though, that my love of flying has taken a slight hit in recent months as I have been on many planes with not nearly enough hot men sitting next to me with sexy foreign accents!

I tried flirting with this guy on my plane ride home from Thanksgiving a few months ago, but I had a suspicion he was gay, which was confirmed when I saw him making out with his boyfriend at baggage claim. I should have known by the David Sedaris book he was reading during flight. I personally love David Sedaris, but not many straight men would openly read any of his books on a plane. At least none that I know.

Now I'm off to accomplish something in the real world...studying, writing, lab reporting, and the eventual crying my eyes out because I HATE SCHOOL!!!

Thankful/Not

Since I am trying to be more optimistic, I will start with a list of things I am thankful for today...and then get to the list of things I am SO NOT thankful for today. Please to enjoy.

Today I am thankful that:

-I had a great ass-kicking workout with my trainer and I even rode my bike to the gym and back

-I went to class, despite seriously wanting to skip, and answered two questions correctly that the professor asked, thereby increasing my likability in his eyes, I hope

-I was able to take a hot, lavender-scented bath with lots of tea lite candles surrounding me, listening to Joshua Radin, drinking a Tuscan Orange Grapefruit Mich Ultra, after my workout

-I now have only one week until my Spring Break starts and I bought my plane tickets last night for my trip to see my best friend for a girls weekend, then go home for a few days

-It was gorgeous out today, not unlike every other day for a while now, and it was also a little cooler than the 88 degrees we've been having. Sooo nice!!

-LOST is tonight. I really shouldn't watch it because I have so much to do, but let's be honest, I'm going to anyway.


Today, I am NOT thankful that:

-My b-day is this weekend and I still haven't gotten any cards in the mail. :(

-I still haven't heard from aforementioned guy, L (sorry but I have no idea how to link to another post, so just look down), and I am more than disappointed

-After my binge-eating today I look like I'm at least 6 months pregnant. Seriously.

-I haven't even started my paper and lab report due Friday. Ouch! I see late nights and coffee in my near future

-I think I scared J away this weekend. I haven't talked to him since Sunday and it was really nice having him call me all the time there for a while. I may just have to call him up myself.


That's enough. Now it looks like my day was overall optimistic since I have more "thankfuls" than "nots."

V-day

So, Valentines Day was awesome, and not because of the boy I had dinner and made out with OR because my awesome parents send me a dozen roses!

The day started out with me being hungover from Friday night. I actually went out every night this weekend, including Sunday. I layed around Saturday and cleaned up my apartment a bit. Around 5 I started getting ready for dinner at J's. He was cooking me dinner for Valentines Day, even though the words "Valentines Day" had never come out if his mouth. He asked me "what I was doing Saturday" and "Did I want to go out or stay in?" I opted to stay in so that we wouldn't have to be surrounded by couples in love. I am far from in love with him at this point. I'm not even sure I like him very much yet.

I got to his place around 7:15--late again!--and apologized for being such a bad/late date. He had gotten us steaks to grill, veggies, and chocolate fondue with fruit for dessert. He also gave me a nice box of chocolates which I thought was nice, because I wasn't expecting anything from him on this random Saturday! LOL

We hung out and watched a movie for a while before he put dinner on the grill. He then proceeded to unknowingly start a fire and burn our dinner on the grill as well. I totally didn't mind and was just happy that he put forth the effort, but he was visibly upset that he had burned it and kept apologizing. I tried to reassure him as best I could that it was perfectly delicious anyway.

After that, we headed up onto his roof to watch some fireworks that were going off near his place. It was fun and kind of romantic, but it was also cloudy, so no stars...or sparks.

I talked a lot and tried to open up to him a little bit but he didn't ask me any questions and was still in his jokey/on-the-surface mode. It ticked me off a little so I made out with him for a little while and then decided to leave early, at about 11.

I had been secretly texting with a friend of mine all night who was at a singles party we were all invited to. When I left J's house I called her and she told me that everyone was heading downtown to a couple of clubs and I should come. I debated for about 15 seconds (mostly because I was in casual clothes--not clubbing clothes) and then decided to go.

I am so glad I did! My friend and I rode with two other guys who were at the party--one I knew and one I didn't. We got downtown and started having a couple of drinks and guy I didn't know, L and I started talking and dancing together. Pretty soon he was focusing his attention on me and leading me around by holding my hand. I'm not gonna lie; I started getting a major crush on him!! He is not my normal type, but then, I don't really have a type.

We stayed out until 4 am and I had had a few drinks, but I paced myself so I was only a little tipsy at the end of the night. I was so happy when L asked for my number at the end of the night!

This was Saturday night/Sunday early morning. And...no call yet! Grrr...he got me all excited by asking for my number and then no call. He even called my phone to make sure it was the right number when I gave it to him. I really hope he does call, but I kind of think if he hasn't called by now, he may not. Geez, I really liked him! A LOT more than J!

P.S. I realize how messed up it was that I went out after J had cooked me dinner for V-day and asked me to stay the night and all, but I just wasn't feeling it with him.

Maybe I'll have some good news about L in the next couple of days!! I can dream, can't I?

Seriously?!

The title was not just a reference to Grey's Anatomy, which is on tonight by the way. It's a CROSSOVER show with Private Practice. WHAT?! It better be good. I'm just saying.
No, Seriously!? was the remark I made in my head after my friend asked me a question. I haven't seen this particular friend in about 2-3 weeks and so I invited her over for dinner. I told her I would make turkey chili and asked if that was okay, to which she replied, "as long as you have lots of cheese and crackers to go with it." Okay, whatever. I'll get her some cheese and she can eat my reduced-fat Ritz. Done. This was not the problem.
Skip to today. I texted her to make sure she was still game for dinner and she said YES, and then she said, "would you mind if I take a shower at your place?" Dinner. I invited you over for dinner. I understand that you live with your Dad and two younger siblings, but come on, you have two bathrooms, two showers, running water, your own time....what the hell?
If this was an isolated incident, I might be able to just slough it off, but she has MADE THIS REQUEST BEFORE when coming over to my place as well as another request: "Do you mind if I bring my laundry over to do?" Umm, hi. I pay my own water/electricity/I DON'T WANT TO SIT HERE WHILE YOU TAKE A SHOWER/I am not your mother or parental figure! I wanted to visit with you, feed you (pretty generous, right?), and have a fun night. Maybe a movie. Maybe a glass of wine. This is not time for you to do your daily hygeine routine and catch up on chores.
Am I being unreasonable for feeling this way?? If I'm being a bitch, please somebody tell me.
And, in case you were wondering, obviously I said "yes, of course you can take a shower here. And, do you have a bodywash preference? Let me accomodate you." I am in no position to be losing friends, people.

25 Random Things. You're Welcome.

1. I have never broken a bone. I sprained my ankle pretty bad at gymnastics when I was about 8, and when I wouldn’t stop crying, my Dad said, “Okay, if it's that bad we’re going to the emergency room.” I was so scared to go to the doctor that I sucked it up and dealt with the pain.
2. I am the favorite child. I’m laughing as I write this, but it’s true. It’s not because I’m so great, but my sister is so headstrong and outspoken and I’m more go with the flow, so my parents and I have a better relationship, overall.
3. I am terrified of snakes, but last year, when I had a couple of drinks one night, I let this guy put his boa constrictor around my neck and I kept it there long enough to take several pictures for proof.
4. I don't like confrontation. I avoid it at all costs.
5. I hide behind my sunglasses (think of Adam Sandler’s parenting technique in Big Daddy). I wear them even on cloudy days and I put them on immediately after I leave the gym, even when I’m not out of the building yet, to hide my red, sweaty face. I feel much more confident with them on.
6. I always have to sleep with at least 3 pillows. One under my head, one between my knees, and one for me to wrap my arms around. This is how I’m most comfortable and it’s almost impossible for me to sleep without all three.
7. Whenever I cross an intersection, I secretly whisper to the car approaching, “please don’t run me over,” and so far, they haven’t!
8. I love to fly. I live near an international airport as well as a couple of smaller, private airports, and whenever I see a plane in the air, I always wish I was on it. I always wonder where they are going and wish that I was going too. I love to always be going!
9. Whenever I watch one of my favorite shows, such as the Office or LOST or 30 Rock, I get giddy. I laugh hysterically, even when I’m watching them by myself, on my computer. Me, myself, and I could watch those shows all day long!
10. I’m obsessed with cute little notepads. I must have a hundred of them lying around, all serving a different purpose. One is a food journal, one is for my grocery list, one is for my random thoughts, one for my daily to-do lists, one for long-term goals, et cetera, et cetera.
11. I always have to get a Sunday paper. No other day of the week, but Sunday. I like to go through all the ad papers and clip coupons. The thing is, I hardly ever use them. I just cut them out, put them in a little divided binder sorted into categories, and then inevitably throw them away three months later when they expire. I also like to read the funnies.
12. I’m always reading dating tips, cooking tips, beauty tips, and exercise tips online. I love self-help articles and every once in a while I’ll come across something I didn’t know before, but for the most part, I’ve heard them all. I just can’t help but want to better myself all the time.
13. I’m a Christian, an imperfect Christian, but I believe everything that the Bible says. I believe in giving everything back to God and try to thank Him on a daily basis for all of my blessings.
14. I have the most wonderful, supportive parents. No, they aren’t perfect, nor do they have the perfect marriage, but my Dad has told me on several occasions that he would give his life for my mom, my sister, my brother-in-law, or me. I always have a parental net to catch me if I fall or fail (which has happened more than once) and I am so eternally grateful for that.
15. I would have loved to get a degree in Literature and I was really good at analyzing different passages in my classes, but I couldn’t come up with a good enough career in my mind in that field, so I went the opposite direction and stuck with science and math, even though they were my least favorite subjects.
16. I can’t wait for my sister to have a baby, but I selfishly want her to wait until I’m finished with school so that I can move back closer and be near them when she does. I’m thinking no such luck.
17. I am constantly talking to myself and have recently started mumbling to myself OUT LOUD. I am certain that people think I’m crazy, but it’s just my way of communicating. I’ve lived by myself for a while now and I really like to hear what I have to say, so I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon.
18. I look very young. Mind you, I am only in my early twenties, but I would say I look 16, maybe. Seriously. I really don’t mind, though, but my subconscious always thinks more guys would hit on me if they knew I was older.
19. I always say that I’m socially awkward, but really I’m not. I can hold a conversation really well with almost anyone and I attribute this to the fact that I keep up with current events and news and try to have an opinion formed about most things. I’m not afraid to approach people I don’t know and am actually more comfortable around strangers.
20. My weaknesses are ice cream, pizza, and cookies. You know what, I just like food. All of it. Unfortunately, I view food emotionally and not as nourishment in order to survive and have energy. I need it to make me feel good, dammit!
21. I stupidly took my young puppy to Fourth of July fireworks a couple years ago and when the first one went off, she pooped---she diarrheaed (my word)---all over me and my cute sundress. Needless to say, we left immediately and she wouldn’t take her tail out from under herself for hours after that because she was so shaken up. I felt horrible!
22. I don’t recycle. I leave the water running when I brush my teeth, I waste paper towels and I drive an SUV. But, I do care about the environment. Just not enough, I guess.
23. When anyone calls me and asks what I’m doing, I almost always say that I’m studying, and I’m almost NEVER studying.
24. I email with my 85 year old grandmother about twice a month. It astounds me how computer-savvy she is!
25. I was in the “gifted program” in elementary school and got to go to a special school one day a week with the other smart kids. It was fun, but probably a waste of time.

Movie Date

I can't help it if my favorite date night consists of going to see a movie and not much else. I love seeing movies! J and I went to see Defiance Thursday night. I wouldn't recommend the movie; for a date night, at least. It was a true story and kind of depressing.

So, he picked me up about an hour before the movie started and when we got in the car he said, "Oh yeah, I got those inner tubes for your bike tires that needed replacing." What?!? I mentioned to him the other day that the tires on my bike were flat and I couldn't pump them up and he said that the inner tubes probably needed replacing. I didn't think much of it at the time, and then he surprises me by getting them! I asked him how much I owed him and he told me not to worry about it. Gold star, J!! We went straight to the movie and when we pulled up, he reached into his backseat and pulled out another surprise---he had gotten a bag of my favorite snack for me, to eat at the movie, pistachios. Yum...I was so happy at this point. I think he had seen them in my fridge last weekend and I mentioned that I'm obsessed with them. I tried not to devour them all right there and then in front of him. All of this leads me to a major observation I've seen about J. HE LISTENS TO EVERYTHING I SAY! How rare is that in a guy?! Very, right? I know I've never had anyone so attuned to me before. It's actually a little scary. He'll sometimes mention something out of the blue and then I remember I casually made a remark about it last week or something.

We had a good time at the movie, but it was an early night because I had class the next morning. Overall, I'm happy with the way things are going. Maybe this could be something. :)

Look at those arms!

I just worked out with my trainer this morning. I really like her...when she's on time and sticks to the schedule. She keeps cancelling on me and it's starting to irk me because I feel like the only way I'm going to lose weight is if I stick with a routine of working out at least 3 times a week with her. She's real perky and cute but I think she looks at her job as meeting up with friends at the gym instead of meeting a client for a paid session.

All of that animosity aside, my legs are killing me right now and I wouldn't be surprised if I collapse when I get in the shower. In fact, I better take a bath so I can just sit there and cry about my soreness.

This is what I'm hoping to look like by summer...yeah right! But I do like this tie-dye camo type swimsuit from Victoria's Secret. Hopefully I will at least feel comfortable enough in my own body to wear it around mid-April. I'll be crossing my fingers AND putting a lock on the pantry! hehe

Peanut Butter Madness

Okay, I know that there is a major dilemma going on with peanut butter right now and the salmonella outbreak, BUT I love, love, love PB and one minor-deadly outbreak is not going to stop me from eating it. I use Skippy brand Natural PB and as far as I know, it's not on the list of bad ones.
So, I'm always looking for ways to use my fav PB in recipes and yesterday a friend of mine came over, and whenever this particular friend comes over, she and I inevitably end up making cookies. So, I searched my favorite recipe website (allrecipes.com) for a peanut butter cookie recipe and came up with this one:

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies:

1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Large Egg

Mix all ingredients and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookies sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

Is that the easiest recipe you've ever seen or what?! I made a couple of minor adjustments to make them more healthy. First, I used my organic PB, then I used Splenda baking mix, so I only used half a cup of the sugar mix. Then, I used 3 Tbsp. All-White Liquid Egg Whites instead of the egg. I also flattened them out when I put them on the tray so they cooked more evenly (they don't spread out much if you don't). You have to let them cool on the tray for about 5 minutes, and then they're ready to eat! Delicious! I calculated them to be about 70 calories per cookie with my healthy alternatives, but come on, I ate the whole tray! This recipe only makes about a dozen.
Try them out. I promise you will love them!

Weekend Chronicles

I guess I'm more like a guy than I want to believe I am when it comes to dating. I don't like hanging out with the same person for more than a few hours. I guess I'm just used to living alone and having my own space and doing whatever I want to do all the time. I went out with J again this weekend on Saturday and actually had a really good time!
We went to a horse race on Saturday close by and I had never been to one before. It was awesome and very crowded. We didn't bet any money, but we picked horses and told them to each other before each race started. It was also nice because the sun was shining and it was kind of cold, so I was able to wear my cute red jacket and boots, which I very seldom get to in FL. The conversation was a little slow during that part of the date, but I blame some of that on me and still being a little hungover from a 3 Doors Down concert I went to the night before. Oops.
After that, we went to see the movie "Taken" and it was so nice. We snuck in Starbucks because I needed to wake up! I ended up getting too jittery from the caffeine since I hadn't had any in a couple weeks, so I made J promise not to let me have any more while we were together. haha. I'm sure he knows I'm crazy by now, so I'll just keep saying the stupid little thoughts that come into my head to him. I also had to tell him about my mumbling and the fact that when he "can't hear what I'm saying" I'm actually just mumbling little things to myself. He actually said he does the same thing, so I was a little relieved.
This is where it gets kind of weird. I would have been fine if the date was over now, because you know, I need MY time, but I could tell he wanted to get something to eat and I really prefer eating at home to eating out so I suggested we go back to my place and cook together. It ended up being really fun mostly because we had a few too many glasses of wine. We watched a couple more movies, made out (he finally kissed me!), and fell asleep.
I normally wouldn't let a guy I went on a date with spend the night, but I've known him for a long time and we drank a lot, so I didn't think he should be driving home anyway.
We went to church together the next morning and then I had to end the date because I was getting kind of annoyed that we had a 24-hour date! I told him I had to study and I would call him later, although he wanted to still hang out. I needed time to just go online, clean my house, and relax.
Overall I had a great weekend but I hope that long date didn't give him the impression that that was how it's going to be from now on. Hopefully he doesn't think that.
In other news, the Bachelor is on tonight and despite my better judgement, I have become hooked on this season so yay! It's Monday!