We are in the midst of Autumn, here in Minnesota. I'm sitting at the dining room table, looking out the window. My parents are in the kitchen taking out our windows and cleaning them thoroughly and then putting them back up. That means that while they're down, there is no pane in and no screen. I could jump out the window if I so desired. The breeze coming in is nice and cool, and it smells like all Autumns should; crisp, cool, and there is a very subtle hint coming from our neighbor's apple tree.
Autumn isn't my favorite season, but I love the colors, the excuse to wear cute sweaters, the bonfires and Halloween. I feel like I've come to appreciate all seasons, even though I definitely have my favorite, and least favorite season. For instance, winter is my least favorite season because of the cold and such, but I love how the snow is so pretty and how is sparkles in the sunlight. I love Christmas, and I love the excuse for hot chocolate with mint flavoring and cuddling up with a friend or significant other in a warm blanket. I love how the evergreen tree's branches are weighed down by the heavier snow. It looks awesome, and you sometimes get to see the snow fall off, and it leaves a large amount of snow that dances around like a life-size snow globe. Spring isn't my favorite season either, but I love the green, and the new life everywhere in the plants and animals. I love how everyone's spirits are lifted in Spring. It's like an excuse to be happy and relaxed. Summer is my favorite season. I love how warm it is. I love walking to beaches in shorts and tank tops and just jumping in. I love the excuse for having picnics, and eating ice cream in the park. Laying out a blanket at night and star gazing. Camping is much more enjoyable in the summer as well as going to parks and playing on swings and jungle gyms. Yes; I am a little kid at heart.
I'm interested to see what your favorite seasons are and why they're your favorite season?
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Day 0010:
So, this past Saturday (the 24th I believe) I went to the Renaissance Festival with some new-found girl friends. Now something you need to understand about me is that I have the unfortunate habit of not getting along well with most girls. I think we're petty, gossipy, and usually hypocritical. I say 'we' because I either have, or have had in the past, one or more of these traits. The fact that I made four new girl friends since I moved home in March is incredible. They're great girls. The only boy that went with us was my good friend Clayton. He seemed to enjoy the fact that he was the only male...I don't blame him. These new girl friends of mine are very cute on a bad day.
We all decided previously to dress up. I bought a costume three years ago that I re-wear every year. It's a white off-the-shoulder dress with a dark green corset. Clayton went as a ninja (same time period; different continent). Ali (who is the most petite of our group) was going to go dressed as a fairy. The day of our escapade she changed her mind. Chelsey was going to go with a skirt and tank top, but found black pants and a black corset, an awesome cape, and a gothic looking bracelet and necklace. Needless to say, we looked interesting walking into the gas station on our way there.
I noticed a few things about this festival as I got there. First of all, there is a wide array of people. People that get super into it, dress up, speak as if they were from that time period, and never once break character until they leave. On the opposite side, we have the people that are a bit too embarrassed to dress up, so they come in regular clothes, and just have fun gawking at other people. There are, of course, people in the 'grey area'. I like to think that I fit into this category. I dress up and thoroughly enjoy the event, but I don't talk differently, and I don't act like I know everything there is to know about the time period...seeing as I don't, I'd just end up making a fool of myself anyway.
Another thing I noticed, is that for the group of people I first mentioned, events like the Renaissance Festival are some of the only times they can fit into society just the way they are. How sad...that everyone has to go on a smallish vacation just to be accepted. If I had a time machine, I like to think that I would let them use it.
So, my topic of discussion, is which category do you think you belong in? Why do you think that? This should be good...
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
We all decided previously to dress up. I bought a costume three years ago that I re-wear every year. It's a white off-the-shoulder dress with a dark green corset. Clayton went as a ninja (same time period; different continent). Ali (who is the most petite of our group) was going to go dressed as a fairy. The day of our escapade she changed her mind. Chelsey was going to go with a skirt and tank top, but found black pants and a black corset, an awesome cape, and a gothic looking bracelet and necklace. Needless to say, we looked interesting walking into the gas station on our way there.
I noticed a few things about this festival as I got there. First of all, there is a wide array of people. People that get super into it, dress up, speak as if they were from that time period, and never once break character until they leave. On the opposite side, we have the people that are a bit too embarrassed to dress up, so they come in regular clothes, and just have fun gawking at other people. There are, of course, people in the 'grey area'. I like to think that I fit into this category. I dress up and thoroughly enjoy the event, but I don't talk differently, and I don't act like I know everything there is to know about the time period...seeing as I don't, I'd just end up making a fool of myself anyway.
Another thing I noticed, is that for the group of people I first mentioned, events like the Renaissance Festival are some of the only times they can fit into society just the way they are. How sad...that everyone has to go on a smallish vacation just to be accepted. If I had a time machine, I like to think that I would let them use it.
So, my topic of discussion, is which category do you think you belong in? Why do you think that? This should be good...
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
Monday, September 19, 2011
Day 0009:
So, I am having a work dilemma. Over the past two months (at least) I have been applying for jobs. Not only have I been applying for them, but I have been following up in person. I've been calling them and making kick-butt resumes and cover letters for each. I have incredible people to back me up and prove my "worthiness" to work. I've changed my status from job hunting, to job stalking. Why? Because a few days every week I go to businesses and bug the crap out of them about making sure they got my application, and my resume, and making sure they read it. Every week, I get shut down. I have made absolutely no progress in the direction of a job.
However, I am still receiving income. My parents graciously gave me work to do around the house. I cook dinner every night that I'm home. If I have to go somewhere, I set it up so that all my family has to do is pop it in the oven or re-heat it in the microwave. They also gave me plenty of yard work to do. I have to weed around all the trees in our yard and surround each with mulch. I have to yard two "gardens". I use parentheses because they are basically spots in our yard that we dumped black dirt and may have planted a small bush or a few flowers, or very unsuccessful potatoes. Both of these spots are now way past the point of over-grown and basically count as a jungle of weeds. I get to mow the lawn pretty soon and I'm sure there are other things, but I can't think of them at this moment. For doing both of these fairly simple, but time-consuming things, I get an average weekly income of $40. It's nothing to make a living off of, but compared to little kid's allowance, it rocks.
Not only that, but I was talking to a neighbor recently, who doesn't have enough hours in the day to do everything on his plate and play with his humongous German Shepherd. He said to my Dad as I was standing there, that he'd be willing to pay someone to play with his dog for an hour or so a day. I said 'I'd be willing to do that!' and laughed. He looked at me and said 'Are you serious? Because I really will do that.' to which I responded 'Oh-I'm 100% serious.' I intend to walk over to his place today or tomorrow and talk to him more about that.
My discussion piece is as follows:
Have you ever been out of a job for a long period of time? Was it because you didn't look hard enough, or because unemployment is/was up? What did you do to make work for yourself? If all else fails, I hope to derive some ideas from this...
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
However, I am still receiving income. My parents graciously gave me work to do around the house. I cook dinner every night that I'm home. If I have to go somewhere, I set it up so that all my family has to do is pop it in the oven or re-heat it in the microwave. They also gave me plenty of yard work to do. I have to weed around all the trees in our yard and surround each with mulch. I have to yard two "gardens". I use parentheses because they are basically spots in our yard that we dumped black dirt and may have planted a small bush or a few flowers, or very unsuccessful potatoes. Both of these spots are now way past the point of over-grown and basically count as a jungle of weeds. I get to mow the lawn pretty soon and I'm sure there are other things, but I can't think of them at this moment. For doing both of these fairly simple, but time-consuming things, I get an average weekly income of $40. It's nothing to make a living off of, but compared to little kid's allowance, it rocks.
Not only that, but I was talking to a neighbor recently, who doesn't have enough hours in the day to do everything on his plate and play with his humongous German Shepherd. He said to my Dad as I was standing there, that he'd be willing to pay someone to play with his dog for an hour or so a day. I said 'I'd be willing to do that!' and laughed. He looked at me and said 'Are you serious? Because I really will do that.' to which I responded 'Oh-I'm 100% serious.' I intend to walk over to his place today or tomorrow and talk to him more about that.
My discussion piece is as follows:
Have you ever been out of a job for a long period of time? Was it because you didn't look hard enough, or because unemployment is/was up? What did you do to make work for yourself? If all else fails, I hope to derive some ideas from this...
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Day 0008:
Last night, my good friend Clayton invited me to go with him and our friend Jalen (Jalen is a boy) to the races. Apparently Jalen races what people call a Micro. Now, I have never been to any vehicular races before in my entire life. Never. Not once. Why? Because I like to believe that I have spent my time involved in more productive and useful activities. Racing has also appeared to be very uneventful. I enjoy Clayton and Jalen's company though, so I decided to go as 'moral support'.
It was pretty interesting. Any women there are sized up immediately. Racing humor is tossed around the whole time, so someone like myself was left in the dust. The races never took very long. A few races had to be restarted because of collisions with the wall, or smoking engines. The interesting races to watch, were the ones that involved vehicular damage. No one sustained any injuries, so finding it enjoyable is not morbid or cruel (just thought I'd point that out right now so as to avoid any confusion or repulsion).
Trying to find a topic of discussion for this has been a little difficult, but I found one:
When have any of you been introduced to a clique outside of your own? Everything seems different. The way people dress, talk, joke, eat, etc. What cliques have you been introduced to, and what did you notice and think of them? Are you still included by these people today, or have you moved on?
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
It was pretty interesting. Any women there are sized up immediately. Racing humor is tossed around the whole time, so someone like myself was left in the dust. The races never took very long. A few races had to be restarted because of collisions with the wall, or smoking engines. The interesting races to watch, were the ones that involved vehicular damage. No one sustained any injuries, so finding it enjoyable is not morbid or cruel (just thought I'd point that out right now so as to avoid any confusion or repulsion).
Trying to find a topic of discussion for this has been a little difficult, but I found one:
When have any of you been introduced to a clique outside of your own? Everything seems different. The way people dress, talk, joke, eat, etc. What cliques have you been introduced to, and what did you notice and think of them? Are you still included by these people today, or have you moved on?
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Day 0007:
Wow. It has been quite a long time since I last updated this blog...shame on me! Funny how unemployed 20+ year old women can get busy.
Right now, I'm sitting in my Mother's work vehicle while she has lunch with a client (she's a family and marriage counselor). I know; the gut reaction is to get upset and think, 'the injustice of it all!' but it's really not that bad. I like having time to myself. Better yet, I still get internet connection in the car.
I wasn't always this way. I used to hate being alone. I'm still not a fan of sleeping alone, and I'm a very social person, but being alone means I'll get things done. Things I've probably put off for way too long anyway. So, today's discussion piece is going to be short and sweet as I ease back into making this blog a daily or bi-weekly thing again.
How do you feel about being alone? Does it make you sad, or do you appreciate it? Is it a mixture of both? What do you do with yourself when you're alone? I know for myself, especially right after my divorce, I hated being alone. I hated being alone with my thoughts. It was depression and dangerous. I avoided it like the plague. If I was alone, I'd do everything in my power to go somewhere public with friends so I could be distracted. I realized after a little while that even in public, the sorrow was still there. Just not as potent.
Now I don't mind it. I like thinking things through. I like giving my creativity room to breathe. I'm interested to see the feedback I get on this...
Sincerely,
Anonymous Me
Right now, I'm sitting in my Mother's work vehicle while she has lunch with a client (she's a family and marriage counselor). I know; the gut reaction is to get upset and think, 'the injustice of it all!' but it's really not that bad. I like having time to myself. Better yet, I still get internet connection in the car.
I wasn't always this way. I used to hate being alone. I'm still not a fan of sleeping alone, and I'm a very social person, but being alone means I'll get things done. Things I've probably put off for way too long anyway. So, today's discussion piece is going to be short and sweet as I ease back into making this blog a daily or bi-weekly thing again.
How do you feel about being alone? Does it make you sad, or do you appreciate it? Is it a mixture of both? What do you do with yourself when you're alone? I know for myself, especially right after my divorce, I hated being alone. I hated being alone with my thoughts. It was depression and dangerous. I avoided it like the plague. If I was alone, I'd do everything in my power to go somewhere public with friends so I could be distracted. I realized after a little while that even in public, the sorrow was still there. Just not as potent.
Now I don't mind it. I like thinking things through. I like giving my creativity room to breathe. I'm interested to see the feedback I get on this...
Sincerely,
Anonymous Me
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day 0007:
I went to a pool party yesterday. I showed up a few hours early to help Bradley set up. We cleaned the pool (who knew pools had vacuums?) and got stuff from Wal-Mart for the grill. We swept off the table and chairs that were outside and set up the playlist. It took all the time we had to get ready. I was way excited for the party to start!
A lot of people showed up. There was Chris, Spencer, and Lauren (Lauren planned the party) and Todd (who the party was thrown for). Stacie showed up with a watermelon for pool watermelon football. Joey (a slightly autistic female) and three other people who's names escape me. Later two of Stacie's roommates showed up as well as a couple. I never heard the girl's name, but the guy's name was Greg. Mike and his friend showed up as well as Adam and his girlfriend Jaycee. It was a full house!
We did lots of different things. We swam and ate hamburgers (obviously), and played 21 and jumped on the trampoline. There was lots of socializing in and out of the pool. Finally, we ended the night with a grand finale game of pool watermelon football. I originally didn't want to play, but my friends Adam and Jaycee convinced me to. Bradley explained the rules, and I was on the team of 4 against 5. I am not athletically inclined, to say the least. I was bad at this game. I did happen to grab it and throw it towards Jaycee. Then I swam closer to the side of the pool where our team could score. I turned around just in time for the watermelon (which was thrown by Greg) to hit me in the face and chest.
I immediately started crying and got out of the pool. Every guy present at the party asked if I wanted a glass of water and apologized and asked if I was going to be alright. I said 'yes' dutifully and sat down and focused on breathing. My chest really hurt like it was going to bruise and it hurt to breathe. I got a headache and proceeded to become very confused. According to Adam, I came back in the house after putting my stuff in the car and was looking for my pants. I asked him about 3 minutes later what I was looking for. At that point he decided to drive me home. Before I could leave, Bradley got his Dad who is a doctor to look over me. He checked my heart beat and asked me what I was feeling. Then he told me that if it hurt too bad to breathe later that night to go to the hospital, but for the time being I was alright. I went to the car to try and drive myself home, and realized I couldn't do it. I went back inside and got Adam and Jaycee.
They drove me home and I was fine. We all tried explaining to Katie and Dave what happened as Katie got me some off-brand ibuprofen. When Katie repeated what we told her, I realized how stupid of an idea it was in the first place.
So, my question today is what have you done, that seemed like a good idea at the time, and ended up regretting it? Was it a game, or something that made sense in your head, that when stated out loud sounded ridiculous? Was it said out loud before, or after you tried said idea? This should be good...
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
A lot of people showed up. There was Chris, Spencer, and Lauren (Lauren planned the party) and Todd (who the party was thrown for). Stacie showed up with a watermelon for pool watermelon football. Joey (a slightly autistic female) and three other people who's names escape me. Later two of Stacie's roommates showed up as well as a couple. I never heard the girl's name, but the guy's name was Greg. Mike and his friend showed up as well as Adam and his girlfriend Jaycee. It was a full house!
We did lots of different things. We swam and ate hamburgers (obviously), and played 21 and jumped on the trampoline. There was lots of socializing in and out of the pool. Finally, we ended the night with a grand finale game of pool watermelon football. I originally didn't want to play, but my friends Adam and Jaycee convinced me to. Bradley explained the rules, and I was on the team of 4 against 5. I am not athletically inclined, to say the least. I was bad at this game. I did happen to grab it and throw it towards Jaycee. Then I swam closer to the side of the pool where our team could score. I turned around just in time for the watermelon (which was thrown by Greg) to hit me in the face and chest.
I immediately started crying and got out of the pool. Every guy present at the party asked if I wanted a glass of water and apologized and asked if I was going to be alright. I said 'yes' dutifully and sat down and focused on breathing. My chest really hurt like it was going to bruise and it hurt to breathe. I got a headache and proceeded to become very confused. According to Adam, I came back in the house after putting my stuff in the car and was looking for my pants. I asked him about 3 minutes later what I was looking for. At that point he decided to drive me home. Before I could leave, Bradley got his Dad who is a doctor to look over me. He checked my heart beat and asked me what I was feeling. Then he told me that if it hurt too bad to breathe later that night to go to the hospital, but for the time being I was alright. I went to the car to try and drive myself home, and realized I couldn't do it. I went back inside and got Adam and Jaycee.
They drove me home and I was fine. We all tried explaining to Katie and Dave what happened as Katie got me some off-brand ibuprofen. When Katie repeated what we told her, I realized how stupid of an idea it was in the first place.
So, my question today is what have you done, that seemed like a good idea at the time, and ended up regretting it? Was it a game, or something that made sense in your head, that when stated out loud sounded ridiculous? Was it said out loud before, or after you tried said idea? This should be good...
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
Monday, July 18, 2011
Day 0006:
I feel so out of the loop in Mormon Central over here. Last night I went to FHE (Family Home Evening) and there were dozens of people! Just for a prayer, song, spiritual thought, and another prayer. A few girls and guys got in a water fight. I learned games like Ninja and Lumberjack. Then a small group of us went to Bradley's house where I learned to play scum and to never trust a guy in Twister. He will push you over mercilessly. We had great hot chocolate and listened to music. I learned about EFY (Especially For Youth) and had to teach Mike that flirting with me in front of his girlfriend wasn't a good idea. She was pissed because she thinks I'm pretty and at that point he asked me for my number...that may contribute to the fact that he's hitch hiking to Idaho today...
My discussion piece is as follows; where have you gone on vacation, moved to, or even seen, that's been a huge culture shock for you? Somewhere where you learned a bunch of new things or been a 'novelty item'? My answer is Utah. In Princeton, there's, what? 20 people my age, and I only like about 3 of them. Here there are hundreds of people my age just 10 minutes away. A bunch of Mormons all go to activities to fellowship and because it's the right thing to do. They enjoy the spirituality of church. It feels like back home, only the few people serious about church and the gospel show up. The Granite City Ward is probably 1/4 the size of the ward I'm attending here.
They took a ward photo last Sunday. We had to go to the gym and the photographer had to stand on the other end of the full sized gym to get us all in the picture...we were on bleachers, too. At home, we can all sit in the Relief Society room and occupy half of the chairs and the photographer was maybe 6 feet away.
In Utah, they live so close to each other and church that they could walk if they wanted. In Minnesota, I have to drive 45 minutes to get to church. At least 20 minutes to get to a friend's house (Excluding Maddie, who lives about 5 minutes away).
People in Utah go on dates for fun. People in Minnesota go on dates because they want a relationship. It is rarely just for fun. Not to say people here only date for fun. That's a large part of it, but they want relationships, too. They just focus on having a good time first.
The few people here that I've told about my divorce have a hard time believing me. They think it's so weird that I haven't been to EFY or BYU. They're legitimately confused by my living conditions and religious situation. They're curious, and say they're really gonna miss me...so they intend to party with me until I leave on Saturday. I could get used to this.
Don't hesitate! Please comment on this. I wanna know!
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
My discussion piece is as follows; where have you gone on vacation, moved to, or even seen, that's been a huge culture shock for you? Somewhere where you learned a bunch of new things or been a 'novelty item'? My answer is Utah. In Princeton, there's, what? 20 people my age, and I only like about 3 of them. Here there are hundreds of people my age just 10 minutes away. A bunch of Mormons all go to activities to fellowship and because it's the right thing to do. They enjoy the spirituality of church. It feels like back home, only the few people serious about church and the gospel show up. The Granite City Ward is probably 1/4 the size of the ward I'm attending here.
They took a ward photo last Sunday. We had to go to the gym and the photographer had to stand on the other end of the full sized gym to get us all in the picture...we were on bleachers, too. At home, we can all sit in the Relief Society room and occupy half of the chairs and the photographer was maybe 6 feet away.
In Utah, they live so close to each other and church that they could walk if they wanted. In Minnesota, I have to drive 45 minutes to get to church. At least 20 minutes to get to a friend's house (Excluding Maddie, who lives about 5 minutes away).
People in Utah go on dates for fun. People in Minnesota go on dates because they want a relationship. It is rarely just for fun. Not to say people here only date for fun. That's a large part of it, but they want relationships, too. They just focus on having a good time first.
The few people here that I've told about my divorce have a hard time believing me. They think it's so weird that I haven't been to EFY or BYU. They're legitimately confused by my living conditions and religious situation. They're curious, and say they're really gonna miss me...so they intend to party with me until I leave on Saturday. I could get used to this.
Don't hesitate! Please comment on this. I wanna know!
Sincerely,
Monotonous Me
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)