Too Much Love in This Oregon Heart

Lately, I've noticed that I'm once again experiencing the normal ups and downs everyone has.  This might not sound earth-shattering and it's not, but considering I had lived the past year and a half well below the "normal" line, it's nice to feel something again.  I wasn't completely devoid of emotion or anything, but it was hard to get out of the weird "neutral" rut I was stuck in.

Today wasn't exactly stellar, but not all that bad.  I needed a laugh this morning and found one in the several YouTube videos I added to my favorites simply because they make me laugh.  Might seem a little weird, but you do what you do.  And that's what I do.  My YouTube history is mostly cats and baby birds.  Not even ashamed.  Oh, and Qoo advertisements.

I took a nap earlier and woke up with the cat climbing around on the bed and trying to look out the window (conveniently located right near my pillow).  As it turns out, she sees all these little squirrels and will press her forehead against the window and meow loudly when one comes close.  It's freaking adorable, but not when she's stepping on my head while I'm trying to sleep.  So, I got up and listened to music while I ate a sandwich and tried to write.  Mostly Conway Twitty and Old Crow Medicine Show.  I'm sure there's worse things to be done.

I brought my Tumblr back, too.  I needed a place to dump all of the amusing and weird pictures and videos I find, instead of flooding my Facebook wall with them.  It's called J's Little Closet.

Well, back to writing.

Bubbles in the Rain

Today started out the same as the many, many other days I've been in Portland.  It was cloudier than usual, at least I think.  Beautifully overcast skies and a light sprinkling of rain.  The wind blew especially hard when I walked to the store earlier.  It was the kind of wind that was all like, "Hey, I'm going to tear that umbrella straight from your feeble little hands and into the path of an oncoming Volkswagen."  That didn't happen, but I thought it might.

The only thing not normal about today was the small yet unmistakable spark of creativity and bubbliness I've experienced.  Something about the wind and the grayness, the warmth of my bedroom and the various thoughts swimming through my head just made everything feel...  Better.  Maybe this is what should be normal?  It's very familiar, but I haven't been there in a long time.  Something tells me I'm returning to my old self, the "happy self," and the very idea of that is thrilling all on its own.

Christmas was wonderful, too.  I got to spend time with my family here and I couldn't stop smiling.  We ate Chinese food and listened to Tom Waits for the longest time.  I don't want to be one of those weirdos that list each and every one of their gifts, but I did receive some very thoughtful ones.  I have an octopus coat rack, hair accessories, eggplant salt and pepper shakers, and an iPhone case with Gwynplaine from The Man Who Laughs on the back.  We were all happy campers.  I couldn't help but miss my family in Tennessee, but I spoke to them and they seemed like happy campers, too.

In other news, I've been experimenting with various film techniques.  And by that, I mean mostly stop-motion and artsy filters.  I've been putting together a small, weird film about nothing in particular.  Well, it might end up being about something, but for now it's kind of up in the air.  I'm still planning that photo safari around Portland.  I'll try to take more pictures the next time I go to Hawthorne.  There's always something interesting to see there.

Holiday Treats and Movies

Apparently, I'm completely inept when it comes to writing blog posts if I'm listening to music or doing much of anything else.  If my mind isn't stuck on writing and writing only, I make the most juvenile and random mistakes.  C'est la vie.

It's totally Christmas Eve (it's also totally obvious).  And for once, it actually feels like it!  Yay!  Tomorrow, my family here in Portland and I are going to cram ourselves around the TV and eat Chinese.  Should be a fun time. Most likely, I will channel my inner child and won't be able to sleep tonight.  On Facebook, someone made a page you can like called "No matter how old I get, I still can't sleep on Christmas Eve."  I liked it so hard it was crayzay.

Anyway, I had the same problem last year.  I ended up watching Hotel Rwanda, primarily because I had never seen the entire movie and I was searching for something to watch while I crafted.  I'm not trying to be funny about it, though.  It was a very powerful film and I'm glad I was able to watch it.  It made me think of how little I've always heard about those types of problems in Africa.  Very sad yet fascinating indeed.

I hate to segway into such a topic, but I'm so excited about making Oreo balls that it's downright unhealthy.  You take a pack of plain Oreos and grind them up in a blender with an eight ounce brick of cream cheese.  Mix it together really well and form them into little balls (about the size of your average chocolate truffle).  Then, dip them in melted white chocolate, sprinkle some of the remaining Oreo crumbs on top, and let them chill in the fridge for about an hour.  Bam.  Christmas just got better.

On another topic, I'm feeling a little accomplished right now.  A new blog post two days in a row.  :)  But no cookie for me.  Just an Oreo ball.

Let the Sunshine In

Christmas is just two days away, and honestly, I'm feeling pretty good.  It's cold here, but no snow.  It feels very appropriate for the season.  I've gotten some gifts in the mail and underneath my mature, adult exterior lies a skinny little seven-year-old in a Christmas teddy bear sweater who can barely resist the temptation to open them.  So far, the adult part has kept things under control.

Last December and January were especially hard for me.  While I was grateful the for time I spent with my family and friends, as well as the giving and receiving of everything from cookies to much-appreciated crazy scarves, I went through quite a bit of heartache.  My loved ones were supportive, but I hated feeling like a burden or that one whiny Scrooge sneering in the corner.  I went through the motions best I could, fooling nobody but still managing to somewhat get into the holiday spirit.

Right before Christmas that year, my mother and I were browsing an Amvets thrift store in Knoxville.  The speakers in the store were turned to a local radio station that was playing very festive music.  They played several holiday songs I liked and a few I had never heard.  One of these was Wintersong by Sarah McLachlin.  One part in particular stuck in my head:

It's late and morning's in no hurry,
But sleep won't set me free.
When silence gets to hard to handle,
And the night too long.


It's such a somber, warm yet devastatingly poignant song.  That's honestly what things felt like: a long, dark night of the soul, if you will.  Fast forward a year later and it's dawn now.  While the sun hasn't chased out every bit of the darkness, I am very thankful for the sunshine I do have in my life.  I love my current home and I love my family and my friends.  I love God and I love Christmas again.  That being said, Merry Christmas and I apologize for the generous use of metaphors.

Blogger's Block

For the past couple of days, I've wanted to make a new post, but I just give up after a sentence or two.  Thanksgiving came and went and it was good.  Dad, Jenise, and I watched a movie and had a long talk about religion.  The grocery store was open and we got some tasty stuff for dinner.  It was just the three of us and the cat.  So chill.

Now it's December and Christmas will be here soon.  This will be my very first Christmas in Portland and the season's already shaping up to be pretty good.  While I miss Tennessee and the people there, I can't complain.  This will also be the first Christmas in a very long time I've spent with Dad.  The last Christmas I spent with him was 2007, which seems like a lifetime ago when I think about it.  We went to the buffet at the Flamingo and he asked me to dare him to eat a piece of steak with a huge glob of horseradish on it.  I did, he did, and it was hilarious.

I'm sorry if I seem really scattered.  Things have been going well, but I keep thinking about how backwards and confusing things can be.  For example, I've wanted to get a haircut for a while now, but I decided to let my hair grow out.  I hate having long hair because it's hard to take care of.  But sometimes it feels like the world is only good to girls with long hair.  Silly idea, I know.  Plus, it's been years since I've had long hair.  I might like it.

Anyway, I've been crafting some here and there.  The eggplant teapot picture I'm making for my bedroom is almost done.  I'll post pictures when it's complete.  Speaking of pictures, I really have to take more and put them on here and on Facebook.  Dad lent me one of his awesome cameras and I really should be putting it to use.  Maybe a photo safari needs to happen?

Miss Velvet the Magnificent

This is Miss Velvet.  She's our cat, as you can tell by the picture below.

She can be very sweet, but she's kind of "derp derp derp," as my dad put it.  When I first moved in, I would often wake up to find my bedroom door wide open and a little fuzzy lump at my feet.  Or the door would be open and she would be lazing around on her perch in the kitchen.  Turns out, Miss Velvet could open my door by wedging her head between the door and the frame (it doesn't latch properly.)  I had never seen a cat do this, so I considered it a cute (if annoying) novelty.

Miss Velvet doesn't play very much on her own.  One of us has to get her attention with a little jingly ball or her teaser toy.  Most of the time, she likes to curl up somewhere stare at nothing with huge, vacant pupils.  Not the kind of staring that animals do when they supposedly see a ghost, but the kind of staring that suggests the lights are on but nobody's been home.  For a long time.  If ever.

She's pretty much spent her entire life in a pound, though, so her little quirks are understandable.  I very thoroughly enjoy having an inside cat around once again.  Especially one that likes to sleep with her head poking out of the covers and will give you "kisses" on your nose.

Get to the Pointe Work

It doesn't really feel like November.  Maybe it's because I moved?  People are already talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas and it just seems a little soon.  Not that I mind it, though.

Halloween came and I had a ton of fun despite feeling very tired (which happens sometimes).  I finally got to meet my stepbrother and his girlfriend face-to-face.  They're wonderful people, but I already kind of knew that thanks to Facebook.  Anyway, I didn't have a costume in mind (that's a lie; I secretly wanted to be Nina from Black Swan purely because of the Swan Queen's eye make-up), so I just put on my most obnoxious shirt and enjoyed candy with everyone.

I've also been receiving a steady stream of packages from my family back in Tennessee.  They've been nice enough to ship my things to me.  So far, I've gotten shoes, scarves, some fabric, several skeins of yarn, and all my plastic canvas and felting stuff.  Now, if only my books would hurry up.  ;)

River of Coffee

My dad and I have always been very close.  Even when we moved to different states, we kept in touch but we hardly ever got to see each other.  There were two summers and a Christmas I flew out to Nevada to visit, but that was it.  So when I told him I had decided to move to Portland, I could tell that he was beside himself.  And honestly, I was, too.

It's not like I was worried that we wouldn't recognize each other or something.  I guess I was just nervously excited because I wasn't seventeen anymore.  I had changed beyond measure, and so had he.  But it was all in good ways.  Despite my attempt at a rock-hard adult exterior, I was still reduced to a ten-year-old when I entered the baggage claim area in the airport and ran toward him, tears in my eyes and saying "DADDY!"

It's just like old times, but even better.  And there's another person added to the mix.  Jenise is honestly one of the coolest people I've ever met.  I totally knew she and Dad were meant for one another when I found out how much she loved Tom Waits, but that's beside the point.  I've reconnected with my Dad and I'm getting to know my newest family members.  My stepbrother lives out here, too, but I've yet to meet him face-to-face.

Yesterday afternoon, Dad took me on a walking tour of our neighborhood.  I've never felt so at home in another state.  While I still love my home state, I would totally be comfortable saying, "Yeah, I'm from Oregon."  Does that make me a traitor or a poser?  Anyway, our neighborhood has so many little antique shops, coffee houses, and other artsy stuff that it's mind-boggling.  The only thing I don't like about it so far is that things tend to open early and close early.  Not the best for night owls, but thankfully night owls can become sunrise chirpies (I just made that up, DIG IT).

Other than that, I haven't had any major problems with anything.  I miss my friends and family back in Tennessee, but we keep in touch.  I'm curling back into myself less and less and I've become utterly appalled by the amount of sad songs on my iPod.  Things have gone from Winter Song by Sarah McLachlan to River of Dreams by Billy Joel.  And for this, I am thankful.

"'Cause I'm free as a bird now."

Rarely am I hyper-philosophical when it comes to my blog posts, I something came to mind today that I thought would be a nice little moment to share with my friends.

Last Monday, Josh and I went to WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge (Google it).  His mom, Karen, dropped us off and we had a blast.  The various exhibits were family-friendly, some almost childish but fun nonetheless.  It was completely normal.  Josh and I were just a plain young couple again.  Everything we did was done in two's.  Josh spent four dollars on tokens for us to play games in the arcade at the end near the gift shop.  He refused to share the one hundred and thirty-nine tickets we collected, insisting that I get some little plastic dinosaurs or sour candy.  Just mindless, childish fun.  Just like it used to be.

After we finished looking at everything, Karen picked us up and we ate at Cracker Barrel.  I had the beef stew as usual.  We looked at all the candy and home items.  Among them was a toaster that could burn the UT symbol into a slice of bread.  Definitely one of the more unique football fan items I've ever seen.  During our lunch, Karen asked me if there was anything else I wanted to do while we were in Pigeon Forge.  I was tired and had some more sorting to get through.  She and Josh understood and reminded me that we were going to hang out in Knoxville the next day.  I was happy, but sleep had escaped me the night before.  I just wanted to nap.

We got into the car and headed off down the road.  Without unbuckling my seat belt, I leaned over and placed my head on a sweater next to Josh.  He put his arm over my shoulder and stroked my arm like he always did when I fell asleep in the car.  The radio was on and the sunlight came in through we windows, making me even sleepier.  I'm not sure what station the radio was even on, but it played a variety of songs.  At some point, everyone's favorite redneck hymn started coming through the speakers.

If I leave here tomorrow,
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on now,
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.


In hindsight, the moment was humorously poetic.  A little Tennessee girl, about to head into the unknown western frontier to seek her fortune.  I have never wanted to flick a lighter and sway it in the air so badly as I did right then.

Stuff Went Down, Yo

Big things have happened in my life.  Big, big things.

I'll start from the top:  I stopped blogging (and doing much of anything else) because I essentially lost all motivation to do much of anything.  While my anxiety was in check (another story altogether), everything else just didn't seem right and things had to change.  Long story short, I relocated to Portland, Oregon.  It wasn't exactly spur-of-the-moment since I had thought about it for a while, but I didn't know I would be moving so soon.  While I know this won't magically solve all my problems, this will give me time and a new place to put things in perspective and "find out who I really am."  That last bit sounds kind of New-Agey bullcrappish, but it's true, lol.

Saying goodbye to my family, Josh, and his family was the hardest part.  I told myself to be all hard and not to cry, only to end up breaking down and sobbing like Lucille Ball in McGhee Tyson Airport while my mom and sister cried alongside.  Flying freaks me out, but I made all my connections and landed safe and sound in the City of Roses, thanks to my Heavenly Father.

The second hardest part was having to leave my Chirpy Bird, Josh.  He held me and told me that he would miss me and wished me the best, and that we didn't know what the future could still have in store for us as a couple.  We're still besties, and he's doing a good job taking care of the house.  We're both going to concentrate on school and our writing, but we'll be thousands of miles apart.

The third hardest thing about moving across the country was packing all of my stuff into boxes.  It's not as easy as it sounds, even if you had less than you thought.  My things will be shipped out to me, but it's still kind of annoying to be wanting to read a certain book or put my knick-knacks back up and not have them yet.  But at least I have things to be shipped out.  And I brought my cross-stitch stuff, my iPod, and my laptop.  So, YAY!

It's not like I'm going to be sitting in the house all the time, though.  I've only seen a small part of the city and I'm already hopelessly in love with it.  There's more antique shops than I've ever seen in my life.  Lots of other shops, lounges, and places to eat, too.  All within walking distance!  I've been pleasantly overwhelmed, but I'm slowly getting used to it all.

And yes, this means I'm going to start blogging again.  I might even bring back my Tumblr!  HUZZAH!

Long-Awaited

It really hasn't seemed so long since my last update.  Seriously.

I do apologize to the lucky few who read my blog.  Sometimes, my life can be rather uneventful.  But I'd rather have an uneventful, pleasant life than a life filled with bad goings-on.  That was surprisingly poetic, considering I'm bashing out this nifty little blog entry after an all-nighter.  I took one of those epic seven-hour naps yesterday and woke up to Josh coming home from work around 10:30 and throwing me a little tub of coffee ice cream.

And yes, things have been okie-dokie in the relationship department.  It's hard to believe that next month marks two whole years of us being together.  Just the other day, I was opening some windows to let some air in and Josh randomly hugged me and said, "Honey, what we have is special."  All out-of-the-blue like that.  No one likes it when a person in a relationship gushes all the time, but I really am very happy with him and pretty much the rest of my life right now.  So, yeah.

It's been really warm around these parts lately and I'm loving it.  I've gone outside just about every day this past week and did something nature-related.  For some reason, there are a lot of garden snails around.  I don't mean just a few here and there.  No, I'm talking a ton.  Every loose brick I turn over, there's at least one little snail underneath it.  And there's twice as many shells scattered all over the place.  I've already got half a mason jar filled up with empty white shells I've collected from various nooks and crannies outside.  I might incorporate them into a polymer clay project or maybe I'll just set the jar in a window sill.  You don't see a jar full of little snail shells that often.

Speaking of various crafts, I'm steadily working on products to put up for sale on my upcoming Etsy shop.  Once I'm out of school, I can definitely dedicate more time and hopefully have it up and running before too long.  I've been sewing mostly, with a little bit of crocheting here and there.

Right now, I'm just enjoying a cup of lukewarm black coffee while some incense burns in the corner.  Maybe I'll bake some cookies today?

Undercover Blogging

At the time of this writing, I'm under two quilts and surrounded by pillows. That's right, my iPod Touch 4G allows me to blog without ever leaving my bed. A lot of people would consider this a great achievement in the field of modern conveniences. I consider it to be pretty lazy. But the bedroom is cold, and cold bedrooms only motivate me to not get up.

I don't want this to sound like an elongated status update, but things have been pretty uneventful lately. Just school and the usual stuff at home. My classes have been great so far. And I found out that the only books I need for my theater class are a couple of novels I can get very easily. Score. I've been working on my latest cross-stitch project, and it's coming along nicely. I can't wait to see the end result.

I hate to make this such a short post, but my eyes are starting to get tired from staring at my iPod screen in the dark. And I have to make breakfast for a certain someone.

Gross Excess

Things have been pretty quiet for the past two or three days.  Not much has happened.  For some reason, I keep going to bed early but waking up late.  I guess ten hours of sleep never hurt anybody.  It's been nice getting up before Josh and getting to make him breakfast, though.  He really digs waking up to a hot bowl of breakfast rice.  For those who don't know, it's cooked white rice mixed with milk, butter, and sugar.  I'm not a huge fan, but it's really easy to make and he sure loves it.  He also loved the berry melon sorbet I made a few days ago, finishing the whole thing in about ten minutes.

Also, I've been receiving packages.  Things I got to pick out and order, paid for by an Amazon.com gift card (thanks again, Dad and Jenise).  I got a yard of eggplant-print fabric, and I was able to replace three cross-stitch books I lost last February.  I also replaced a book I had a long time ago (The New England Ghost Files by Charles Turek Robinson).  Right now, I'm waiting for my last two packages to get here.  Two plastic canvas tissue topper books also lost last February.  It feels good to know my collection of craft books is getting close to being completed once again.

There's one thing I ordered, though, that has been especially amusing.  For under twenty bucks, I got ten silicone iPod Touch 4G cover in different colors.  Call me an ignorant, overindulgent American swine, but I'm totally loving the way I can match my iPod's wallpaper and lock screens with whatever skin I've chosen.  For example, right now I've got the purple cover on it.  The lock screen is a painting of eggplants and the wallpaper is solid purple.  I certainly hope I'm not crossing the line from "hip coordinator" to "stupid," but I guess some have to learn the hard way.

Apple pie.  Get it?

As for those ballin' craft books, they're being put to good use as well.  I'm working on a cross-stitch bookmark for Josh (he already knows).  I've really missed the three cross-stitch books I replaced, because they all have really neat borders and motifs (Morgan:  MOTIFS!).  I'm also working on a vegetable-themed cup for Mom (she knows, too).  It's like one of those mugs you can cram pictures into, except for cross-stitch.  After those are completed, I'll be working on a few other little projects (which I don't even know about).

As for the eggplant fabric, I'm not sure what to do with it yet.  It'll have to be something really cool.  Maybe curtains or a laptop sleeve?

Blender's Game #2

I can have a one-track mind at times.  This morning, the only word on my mind was "sorbet."  After browsing for some iPod Touch wallpapers (another mini-obsession) and making breakfast for Josh, I jumped right into the kitchen and began my work.  The fruit that I was going to use was fresh as opposed to frozen, so I had to put the container in the freezer overnight.  The container in question held strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, and grapes.  It should be noted right here and now that I've always hated cantaloupe and honeydew with a passion.  However, all the containers of fruit at the store had some sort of melon, and I wasn't about to let something bought for me out of love and kindness go to waste.

Sort of lonely.

I opened the container and carefully picked out the strawberries and the blueberries.  Berries are delicious and I can totally tolerate them.  Except for poisonous berries, but I'm sure we can all agree on that topic.  I tossed the berries in the blender and decided to skip adding the water the recipe called for, just to see how much sorbet a tiny amount of berries such as this could yield.

About this much.

Intriguing.  Definitely an interesting color.  Despite my distaste for melons, I went ahead and dropped the rest of the fruit into the blender, including the grapes.  I added water as the recipe called for, about a cup, and a generous sprinkling of sugar.  About ten minutes of vigorous blender-shaking and shredding noises passed until I opened the blender to taste-test the sorbet.

Sorbet-baybay!

The sorbet was surprisingly thick and delicious.  I never thought it was going to be terrible, but the initial use of the melon pieces sort of put me off.  The berries and the melon complemented each other nicely.  To top it all off, the whole concoction was a gorgeous pink color.  In the words of Ina Garten, "How great is that?"  I don't know if Ina Garten actually said those exact words, but she totally would.

Blender's Game #1

I'm up way past my bedtime, but for good reason:  I've been experimenting with my lovely new Magic Bullet blender.  I had been wanting to try out some of the recipes that came with the blender.  Tonight, my boyfriend was kind enough to swing by the store after work and pick me up a few ingredients I had been meaning to get for a couple of weeks now.  He's nice like that.  Before I began my work, I thought it would be nice to blog about my most recent adventures in Magic Bullet ownership.

I got my nifty little blender for Christmas.  I made jerky chew with it the very first day, followed by cashew butter.  I pulverized about thirty-six Oreos to make Oreo balls.  I even made a "hand treatment" for Josh out of oatmeal, nutmeg, sugar, and olive oil, as his hands get horribly chapped in the winter.  Each of these little experiments turned out great.  So far, my blender hasn't contributed to any major kitchen disasters.  It sits there, all dark and sleek, like some sort of culinary monolith.

"ONE OF US!  ONE OF US!"

For my first recipe book experiment, I chose to try my hand at making chocolate mousse.  This recipe employs the whipping blade that came with the blender, and I used the smaller of the two cups.  All I used was heavy whipping cream and Hershey's Chocolate Syrup.  I poured the cream and squeezed out the syrup and proceeded to try and whip it all up.

Yep, that's mousse.

I took the blade off the cup and was seriously impressed.  It may sound dumb, but the ability to make mousse was the thing that convinced me about five years ago that I desperately needed a Magic Bullet blender one day.  I wondered if it was too good to be true.  But, lo and behold, the cream was whipped into a perfectly moussey consistency.  The mousse was pale, but the chocolate could definitely be tasted without being overpowering.  At some point, I think some chocolate coffee mousse should happen.

Next, I used the tall cup to make salsa.  I used a whole tomato, a good bit of onion, and a handful of jalapenos.  I believe the original recipe called for cherry tomatoes, but I think that's to put a greater focus on the lack of cutting that supposedly makes the blender so convenient.  I also used pickled jalapenos, as opposed to fresh ones.

So, I cut the tomato into wedges and decided to use only about half the original chunk of onion.  Of course, the onion was really strong, and it's awfully hard to put things in a blender with one eye squinted nearly shut because of the fumes.  I tossed it all into the blender along with a dash of garlic powder and a little parsley for flavoring.

It was strangely pretty.

The outcome was not so pretty.

I stared at the result through the side of the clear cup.  To be honest, I was a more than a little put off by the color of the salsa.  I had never seen salsa that consistency or color before.  I also didn't like the sound it made as it plopped into the Tupperware dish I poured it into, but maybe that's just me.  I dipped a cracker in it, gearing myself up to be disgusted.  Amazingly, the salsa was delicious.  It was a bit pulpy, but the tomato flavor really came out and it had a great lingering heat. Believe it or not, this is definitely a recipe I'll be making again.

So far, the Magic Bullet blender is my favorite kitchen appliance.  There's some fruit in the freezer, and tomorrow I'll post the result of my attempt at sorbet-making.  I want to create new recipes for this particular appliance, and I would love to hear about other "ten-second recipes" developed by Magic Bullet cultists owners out there.

Semester Preview

Today was the first day of spring semester.  The whole day was very good, despite my initial nervousness.  I woke up a few times last night and had trouble getting back to sleep.  I felt better as the morning went on, though.  I got my schedule printed out and got to wear my favorite yellow shirt (the one I coordinate with my pointy yellow shades, because I'm cool like that).

My first class of the day was developmental psychology.  It's not exactly "second-level" as I had described it, but it is my second psychology class and it's more in-depth.  I really dig the professor and my classmates seem really friendly.  The same also applied to my second class, accounting.  I can tell the professor really loves accounting.  The sort of love that says, "If loving accounting is wrong, I don't want to be right."  All in all, both classes should prove to be challenging, fun, and fruitful.

I had a few minutes between classes to eat my lunch.  It was tasty.  After my classes were over, I still had to wait for Josh to get out of his English class.  I spent the following hour and twenty minutes taking pictures of myself with my iPod and manipulating them with various photo-editing apps, because that's what all good students do their first day.  Josh had a great day, too, and with that we headed to a nice little Chinese restaurant in Oak Ridge.  Countless pieces of shrimp and several Altoids later, we're just relaxing at home.  Neither of us have school on Fridays, and we're going to be off Monday for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Today was just a little "preview" of the rest of the semester.

Despite the tempting idea of playing The Sims 3 until my eyes melt out of their sockets, I should probably get to bed.  I'm usually a night person, but going to bed early and getting up early is the chillest feeling ever.  I like to make breakfast for Josh first thing, then follow it up with doing laundry or the dishes.  Everyone should try to do even a minor accomplishment first thing in the morning.  I don't know about you, but it always puts me in a relatively good mood.

Hello, Spring Semester

Well, it's the last day of winter break.  I think it went very well.  Sometimes not being mentally busy can be a bad thing.  Breaks are always welcome, but I'm ready to get back to school.  I freakin' love school.  It keeps me busy and I get to learn stuff.  How cool is that?  I even get to carpool with my dearest Josh, which is an added bonus.

Tomorrow, I get to rise and shine and attend my second-level psychology and first "Principles of Accounting" classes.  I'm so excited, I've already packed a snack: a pouch of tuna, a container of light balsamic vinaigrette dressing, some flax crackers, and a bottle of water.  I call it a "snack" because Josh and I plan to go out to eat tomorrow afternoon.  It's our little ritual to eat somewhere after the first day of the semester.  I usually never eat breakfast, but I do get hungry, and we won't be eating until around 2:00 or 2:30.

I also love packing lunches for school.  In case you couldn't tell, I try to put together freakishly healthy lunches.  It's like a challenge and mini-obsession. I usually pack salads, because we all know salads are totally boss.  Not to mention versatile.  More on my lunch obsession later.

Like I said, the break was nice but it's time for school.  My first semester was great, and I think this one will be the same.  One class I'm looking forward to in particular is my second-level western civilization class.  I tend to be more interested in history after the 1300s.  But that's just me.

A Brief History of the Purple Ghost

I've always found starting a blog to be really awkward.  I never really know where to start.  If I make a reference to something I've not written about before, my readers would be all like, "What?"  So, to put a stop to all that before it starts, I'm going to give you a little background information.  That way, you guys will know what the eff I'm talking about.  At least, most of the time, anyway.

I was born on June 7th in Knoxville, Tennessee.  I lived in Oak Ridge with my father and his parents.  In 2003, my beloved grandparents passed away.  About a year later, my father and I moved to Florida.  We lived there for about a year and a half, and then I moved back to Tennessee and Dad moved out west.  I came to live with my mom, stepfather, and aunt in August 2006, in a nice little house surrounded by scary woods and cats.  During high school, I was very involved in NJROTC and journalism.  I learned how to cook and do various crafts.  My junior year, I met a remarkably smart and sweet young man by the name of Josh, and we began dating in May 2009.  Sadly, my family and I lost our home in a fire in February 2010.  No one was hurt, not even our cats.  Josh and his mom took me in immediately, and I've been living with them ever since.  I was able to finish my high school education at the same school and I'm now pursuing a college degree.

That should clear up any confusion.  That being said, welcome to my humble little blog.  Thank you very much for taking the time to read about my daily adventures.