Ellen Hopkins

I have already pre-ordered the newest Ellen Hopkin's book, Perfect. It will be released on September 13, and I will not get it in the mail until 2 or 3 weeks after that! lol.
I have already ordered Impulse, the first book in this new series. (I once gave that book to a friend in high school and never got it back. That was well over four years ago! So now I have to order all the Ellen Hopkins books I lost.)

I ordered all that from Amazon.com. I guess I could go to Barnes and Noble or even half-priced books to see if they have copies of those books, but I can find these books for like, 2 or 3 dollars! If I go to Half.com (a site belonging to EBay) I have found books for 75 cents, sometimes even less than that!

I love ordering books online, but I wish the shipping price would go down. I can order a book for a penny (seriously!) and still have to pay $3.99 shipping and handling. Ugh!

stuff that goes wrong

Oh man oh man. The last couple of days @ work have been CRAZY.

On Monday afternoon the gas stopped pumping. Simply stopped! A co-worker, A., tried re-setting the pumps twice thinking there was some glitch in the program. In the meantime she had called a fuel repairman. He took two hours to get here, two hours to go to Delafield to get the parts he needed, and another 6 hours to fix the stuff going haywire in the basement.

Oh yeah, there was not a glitch in the program. There was something seriously wrong with the parts. In the basement there were sparks flying, parts were drowned out in water... it was a major mess! That was on Monday. I came in on Tuesday to check out my work schedule. When I showed up @ 1000 everything was aok and people were pumping out their gas. So thankfully everything was alright outside.

But today things went really wrong with the frappochino machine. Some of the funnels weren't working and they were not spitting out the coffee. The repairmen took a look and said everything was fine. Like not even two hours later one of the funnels started spitting out HOT HOT water all over the damn place. I was rushing around putting cups in the place of the water so it would not overflow.

T., our assistant manager, had to turn the machine off so he could stop the hot water going all over the place. By the time he turned off the machine there was water everywhere! He kept me at the cash register while he mopped/wiped up all the water that had gotten on the counter top and the floor. It took him well over an hour to mop everything up! :P

I have to come into work tomorrow pretty early. What will go wrong then?

smoothies

Why bother going to your gym's juice bar when you can make your own smoothies at home? All you need is a decent blender, plenty of your favorite fruit, and whatever toppings you want. Right now I am eating a banana/peach/whipped cream smoothie and it tastes delicious. My dad took a couple bites and he said it tastes like banana cream pie (though he might have said that just to be nice to me.)

And it makes a great drink too! Plus it feels good to eat healthy (even if I did top off my smoothies with a lot of whipped cream!).

Because I used up all the peaches we have I am going to have to go shopping for more strawberries and other fruits. A banana - strawberry smoothie sounds great right now! Haha.

sad news

My dad told me that the baby robins died this morning. =[ He does not know how they died. Overfeeding them? Dehydration? Something else? He buried them in the backyard. Their parents are still here, chirping and flying around.

It sucks that these poor little birds had to die. I just hope they did not die in pain or anything like that. Sorry babies! I hope you can find yourself a nice little nest in the sky.

baby robins

My dad found two baby robins in our backyard on Sunday. He guesses that they fell out of their nest. They were waddling around and chirping for their mommy and daddy. He got a big ol' box and filled it with straw and poked the birds into the box. We have been feeding them a steady diet of mulberries and worms. For little birds they are sure loud. If they are hungry, they chirp. If they want some shade, they chirp. If they are taking a crap, they chirp.

I already called the Humane Society to see if they would take them. They suggested leaving them out on the grass for their parents to pick up (how? Would the momma or poppa bear pick up these chicks with their beaks or something?). As turns out, the whole thing about human scent on a bird is a wives tale so they are okay to pick up.

In any case, the parents are not going to pick them up. I do not know how they could! I'll give it another day and call the Humane Society and see if they will take the robins in. We have a couple cats in this neighborhood and I don't want to see these chicks get eaten!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

haha. Good night everyone!

City of Bones

I promised I would do a review of Clockwork Angel and I will. But first I need to do a review of City of Bones. You will see why soon.


Ever hear of Cassandra Clare? If you reside on fanfiction.net you might have. Cassandra Clare used to write a lot of LOTR and Harry Potter fanfiction. Her favorite character was and probably still is Draco Malfoy. This is important to keep in note because (a) she uses a lot of her own fanfiction material within her own books and (b) you are going to see a lot of Malfoy in these books, just with a different name and in a different setting.
Okay. So what is the plot of City of Bones? Well have you ever seen Star Wars? Star Trek? Harry Potter? Buffy? Lord of the Rings? Twilight? You have? We are already half way there!


Here is how the first book begins. Clary Fray and Simon Lewis (her bff and token Jew) go to a club to have a good time. There Clary witnesses a bunch of teenagers covered with all sorts of tattoos basically waste a demon. Problem is, she is the only one who can see what is happening. Simon Lewis and the other humans can't see what is going on. (Is Clary on acid? Oh, if only. This would be a much better book!) Turns out that there is this whole "Shadow world" where all sorts of humans and creatures reside together. The three teenagers are Shadow Hunters, demon hunters whose role is rid the human and magical world of all sorts of nasty, evil things. There is Isabelle Lightwood (resident fashionista), her brother Alec Lightwood (your resident gay character and the ever loyal sidekick), and the douche bag himself Jace Wayland. Jace Wayland seems to have all the mannerisms and characteristics of Draco Malfoy. He is arrogant, wealthy beyond reason, very sarcastic, blond, and has his own stern father who was a huge bigot and taught him to "love is to destroy" and all of that crap. The father trained and spoiled his son in equal measure. Wayland is a lean, mean killing machine with enough ego and attitude to rival the size of Texas.


As a Shadowhunter, the teenagers use things called steles, a wand-like object that can pick locks, draw tattoos, and do all sorts of magic. (Its called a wand Miss Clare. Just because J.K. Rowling used it does not mean you cannot use it too.) So about 16 years ago there was this guy called Lord Voldemo--- erm, Valentine Morgenstern who wanted to get rid of anyone and anything who wasn't a pureblood --- I mean... uh... get rid of anyone nonhuman. So his plan of action was to attack the government of Idris (the super special magical place where all the Shadowhunters either come from and or currently live and work at). The plan failed, HORRIBLY, and Valentine (supposedly) died along with his wife and child. His supporters (in a group called The Circle... wait the Circle? You couldn't find anything better than that? Really? Sorry, moving on) either died in the attack or turned themselves in. They were somewhat co-opted within the government, but never really truly trusted or respected again.


Clary, as expected, turns out to be connected to Valentine. Her mother, Jocelyn, was Valentine's wife (I am giving away major plot points away here because even I could see these things coming from a mile away. Anyone could!) and she was his child. And guess what?? Turns out Jace Wayland was a child of Valentine as well. This is a little problematic because Jace and Clary have the hots for each other. (But like I said, if you have ever seen Star Wars you know where this is going.) And it turns out Valentine never really died! He pretended to be Michael Wayland, Jace's father, and raise and make him into the douche bag demon-fighter he is today. DUN DUN DUN.


Valentine eventually sends demons after Clary and her mother and succeeds in capturing Jocelyn. Clary goes to Hogwarts -- I mean the Institute where she learns the truth about her family, her past, and her destiny as a Mary-Sue who can grasp concepts and tactics as easy as picking up flowers. Reviewer Morgan L. Meyers put it best when she said the story combines some good elements like "friends, a knowledge of occult mythology, sectarian groups and violence, fun villains who may or may not be related to you, etc --- but that does not mean it's original." You can take a lot of pretty things and overused ideas and "blend them together to come up with something generically pretty" but that does not mean it will be good.


The side characters (like Isabelle, Alec, and this warlock Magnus) are more fleshed out and far more interesting then the main characters. Clary is kind of bitchy with a major side of cardboard flavoring and Jace... UGH. I wanted to shove him out a window every time he came on the page. That said... the book has a lot of potential. It is up to you whether you like or not, and whether you can gain some inspiration off of it. Read it for yourself.


(NOTE: I used the Amazon review from Dreamsend to write my own review.)

B + N

Favorite store = B + N. Even if the books and journals and the food there is overpriced. It is okay B + N, I still love you. :)

I saw a bunch of great books there. I did not buy any. I could have, but I figured I might as well read the book before I buy it. What if I end up hating it or losing interest?

I always forget to bring a pad of paper and a pen so I can write down all the book titles. So as I was leaving the store I was repeating all the titles of the books I wanted to read to myself so that when I got home I could remember them all. That way I can read them later! I have the books I want to read on reserve at the library and now I am waiting for them to come in. :)

I still have to do a book review that I promised to do in like... May? Wow am I lazy! LOL. I will try to get on that this week, I promise!

Review of WITHER (written by Lauren DeStefano)

The year is 21-something (roughly). All the continents in the world are gone - they have been destroyed through a nuclear holocaust and or extreme weather events. All the diseases, viruses, cancers, and STDs of the world have been cured for good. The catch? The children and the children following after them die young, very young. Men die by age 25 and women die by age 20.

Despite the other countries of the world are buried under the sea or fried away by nukes thereby collapsing globalization and the economy at large. But somehow there is still wealth to be had as well as flourishing technology, some stability (however shaky) within society, and a healthy housing market. Society is essentially controlled by patriarchal polygamists. Gatherers, who run around in gray and black coats, earn their living by finding and kidnapping young women who are able to give birth to children.

And this is where the book begins. Rhine (our main character) has been kidnapped with several other young women and they are being transported to an unknown destination. Rhine has a twin brother, Rowan, at home. She is worried, scared, and fearful. She has been within a large truck with several women for who knows how long and she is afraid for her life.

Suddenly, the truck stops and the girls are hauled out into the light. They are forced into a line while other people measure their hips, quickly examine their bodies, and look at their teeth (they are looking for signs of fertility, basically). Rhine has an unusual feature, she has a brown and blue eye and this makes her stand out from the line. She, along with two other girls, are chosen from the line by a young man. These girls are:

• Rhine - the 16 year old with the unusual eyes and blond hair. She is originally from New York City and until this point lived with her twin brother. Her parents, very famous and very intelligent geneticists, were killed in a terrorist bombing. Rhine was looking for a job when she was kidnapped.
  


• Jenna - an 18/19 year old former prostitute. She, along with her sisters, were forced into the truck. She has long brown hair and later discovers a love for romance novels. However, she is bitter and sad because when the boy rejected all the other women - her sisters were shot and killed.
  


• Cecily - a redheaded, brattish little 13 year old determined to make her husband happy. She originates from an orphanage and has no recollection of any family. She craves attention from anyone who will give it. If anything, she feels happy and blessed to have been taken away in the first place because now she will get to enjoy a luxurious life.

They are unceremoniously stuffed into a limo and knocked out with sleeping gas. However, just as the door shuts and the gas starts streaming in Rhine can hear gunshots outside, as the rejects are slaughtered like cattle. (Grim enough, yet?)

When Rhine wakes up she finds herself in a beautiful bedroom within a large, lovely mansion which itself is placed within some beautiful grounds. She eventually finds out she and the other wives were taken from New York City and have been brought to the Florida coast. It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) she is a long, long way from home. Still, this does not quell her need and drive to somehow get back to Rowan.

She and the two other girls are married off right away to Linden, the boy that picked them out of the line. But wait - there is more! It turns out that Linden is already married to another woman - Rose (his childhood love). Rose is approaching her 20th birthday and is almost set to die. Rhine finds out that Rhine may have been stolen away from her own home and placed within the mansion in order to appease Linden. Thanks to Housemaster Vaughn (Linden's much older father) all four of these women have been taken away from their homes and placed within a pampered lifestyle just for his son (and for Vaughn's experiments - he is attempting to reverse the curse of young death by using the bodies of Linden's children and wives for his own purposes). Linden does love Rose (even though she was kidnapped away from her own home to basically become his pampered slave!) and in her own way Rose loves Linden, but loathes and fears Housemaster Vaughn.

It is the Housemaster that orchestrated the kidnappings (and by extension the deaths) of all these women. He controls the lives of everyone around him, including his own son, and is a figure to be feared. His own son is a weak-willed, naive, vile creature. He is ignorant of all the harsh realities around him (he honestly believes his wives came from a wife school... he does not or cannot fathom the idea that they were kidnapped and stolen away from their own homes and not one wife bothers to set him straight) and clearly enjoys his pampered, struggle-free existence.

He has no problem sleeping with and impregnating a 13 year old girl (who is 14 years old when she delivers his son, Bowen) and with a woman whose sisters he indirectly killed. Even though Cecily is devoted to Linden and is willing to do whatever it takes to please him and Jenna loathes him and his father (for good reason) but still sleeps with him just the same. However, Linden does not try to sleep with Rhine. Why? Even after Rose dies (she gets to old - yes, you are too old when are 20 years old) and Rhine later discovers one of the reasons Linden picked her out the crowd was because she looks so much like Rose. But why doesn't he sleep with her? Does the author want to keep Rhine virginal and pure? I don't know. It is confusing and doesn't really make sense.

Anyway, I do not want to keep going on about the plot of the book. That is for you to read and find out about! But I still have some points about the book as a whole that I want to put out here.

The Good:

• the three wives are developed pretty well within the book, as are the relationships between them.




• Some of the servants within the mansion are developed as well, giving us more characters.




• The technology in the book is very advanced - there are plenty of toys within the book for the wives to play with.




• The pace is pretty good and I like the flow of the words (most of the time).




• The cover of the book is very pretty and really stands out. Look it up for yourself and you will see what I mean.

However:

• The society of this world (country) is not all that well developed. Is there a government within this society? Where are the animals? Has global warming wreaked havoc on the world by now? How does media and entertainment work within this society? It is all pretty unclear.




• Is the U.S. the only country left within the world or is the entire continent of North America still there?




• Rhine continually flip-flops between her feelings for Linden and for running away. While it is understandable why she would change her mind, the character still has to be developed and we have to be given good, solid reason why Rhine changes her mind. The author doesn't really do at times and it seems like she put in all this flip-flopping to fill up some pages.




• I already made this point already but I will make it again, how is the economy still functioning if the world has been devastated by global warming (well I assume it was global warming) and a nuclear holocaust? Granted Rhine is only so young and only knows so much about the world but it would have been nice to be more clear on that!




• Linden is placed as this victim within the story but from my own analysis and those on Amazon.com (read the reviews, some of them are really great!) he is pretty vile in his own way. He blindly follows whatever his father tells him, he does not really seem to care deeply about anyone except Rhine and that is because she tells him stories and reminds him a lot of Rose. He has no problem sleeping with a 13 year old girl (EW!) and he loves living in blissful ignorance. He is going to die within four years and that is tragic and all, but he is responsible for a lot of actions that hurt his wives. He is part of a system that supports polygamy and keeping wives as pets or playthings, not as equals.




• MAJOR PLOT HOLE: I have to thank the reviewers on Amazon.com for this one because I never thought of this: So the population is stricken with the curse of this young death. While they are cured of every other disease they cannot fight off death. But the need to have and raise children (and create a new generation) is still there. People want their own children, even if they die young. Soooo... wouldn't it be VERY possible that there would be a lot of young women out there volunteering their bodies (and by extension, their wombs) for those couples who want to have a child? In exchange for a baby these girls could be given comfort, shelter, and food. Adoption is probably still very legal and if women wanted to give their children to people who could take care of it (because before that child reaches its teens, the mom is sadly dead), why not do that? If couples (and I don't think I made this clear, there is still a generation of older people. The Housemaster is supposed to be about 60 years old. He was born before all diseases were cured and therefore has the benefit of old age on his side, along with plenty of other people) wanted specific genes women who volunteered themselves for this exchange would probably have all of their genetic information listed on a database and these couples could pick and choose at their own will. So if this were to come about, there would be no need for Gatherers. Unless their was a very specific genetic type someone wanted, no one would have to be kidnapped. Hypothetically, there would be loads of volunteers with loads of genetic differences! This is a pretty big plot hole that is ignored within this book.

So you have my very long winded review (and like I said before, check out the reviews on amazon. com but look out for those spoilers!) of the book. But did I still like the book? Yes. Yes, I rather liked the book. There are some flaws within it but it is still a decent book. I am in the process of reading it again! There are two more books that will eventual come out. Hopefully the author will be able to explain away some of these plot holes and clean up her style. But the trilogy is off to a good start and I eagerly await the next book.

But - if you want to read something really good, check out The Handmaid's Tale. The nation of America has been taken over by the Sons of Jacob, an extreme Islamic terrorist group that assassinated the President of the U.S. and established the nation of the Republic of Gilead. Congress has been ousted and the Constitution suspended. Women are now basically slaves whose sole purpose of living is so they can breed and give birth to children. Those who cannot are shipped off to the colonies, where the clean up the toxic mess left behind by the past generations until they keel over and die. It is a really good but creepy book. Read this and Wither for themes of sex for production, social critique on men and their power, and the value of women within a sexist society. It is really developed and the creeps use religion as their excuse to rule roughshod over these women and strip them of their rights. More for adults than for teenagers.

BRB

Listening to the new Panic! At the Disco songs. How I have missed this band!!

Dogs are awesome

I recently watched a PBS/NOVA DVD on the fascinating connection between dogs and humans. The DVD is called (in full) Dogs Decoded: Understanding the Human-Dog Relationship. I picked up a lot of cool facts on dogs that I will share with you here.

• Dog owners can actually discriminate between six types of dog barks. Scientists found this out by recording dogs in naturally settings (like approaching a guard dog and recording its bark or chaining up a dog and having the owner walk away, leaving the dog whimpering and moaning).


• The gray wolf is the very ancient ancestor of all domestic dogs. How a Great Dane or a Yorkie evolved from a wolf is a mystery unto itself.


• Wolves only bark as a warning.


• Oxytocin - it is released when a mom breast feeds her baby. It is a feel good hormone that can make you bond with a complete stranger (because a baby is that, especially when they are only a few weeks old... if you think about it like that). Oxytocin is also released when dog owners pet their dogs. Petting your dog actually makes you feel better! And dogs get a peak of oxytocin too. Who doesn't love getting affection? It lowers stress and heart rate in both the owner and the dog.


• Owning a dog (and assuming you treat it well) can extend your life


• You are less likely to have a heart attack if you own a dog.


• If you do have a heart attack, you are three to four times more likely to actually survive it!


• Dogs (or wolves, really) may have been domesticated as much as 10,000 years ago.


• Humans can point, which is unique to other animals. Dogs can understand that pointing and follow where you point them to. Chimps, our closest ancestor (and with whom we share a lot of our genetic material), either cannot understand pointing or choose not too.


• Puppies can pick up on pointing as young as six weeks old.


• Dogs can even pick up on the direction of our eyes!

So yeah. There were loads more facts from the dvd, but these are interesting enough. Woof-woof!

Done with exams!

I am done diddly done! (As my mom likes to say.) I am done with exams. I had my Statistics exam on Tuesday, my Psych exam on Wednesday (which took me LESS than a half hour to do, it was so easy!), and finally my History exam today.

This particular history exam had a lot of writing in it. In fact today's exam was all writing! One long essay and 12 short answer questions. I am surprised I have not developed carpal tunnel!

Zach is bellowing and moaning in the other room about something stupid. He is so loud and aggravating! I am getting a headache from him. And I think I can hear him rifling through something on the table - better not be my backpack! He likes to paw through things that do not belong to him. :P

Ah, but now I can hear him stomping up the stairs. He has slammed his door and yes I think he has retired to his inner sanctum where he can play on the computer or on the Gamecube for hours on end. How he managed to pass high school considering the amount of time he spends on video games is beyond me but there it is.

sleepy time

I managed to fall asleep today @ 1730. It was only going to be a little nap I told myself! I did not get up until 2130. So I can either try to go to sleep now or I can try to stay up and study. And I have two more exams to get through!

I am not even into summer vacation yet and I am already screwing up my sleeping schedule. :P

Books

I love reading books. I love looking for books. I love shopping for books. Put me in a mall and the very first place I will go to is the bookstore. I could spend all day in there shopping and scouting for books. Put me in a store like Abercrombie or Hot Topic and I will need to leave after like, 40 minutes. Shopping for clothes does not compare to shopping for books (at least for me).

The one thing I loathe about reading books is having to finish them. Like right now I am in the middle of two decent books. One of them is called CLOCKWORK ANGEL (Book One in The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare - noted fanfiction write and Holly Black/ Stephenie Meyer wannabe) and the other is called WITHER, book one in the Chemical Garden trilogy. Granted, both books are good but not great. As much as I like them I can have a lot of critiques about them (which I go into detail later on, in other posts). But at the same time, I do not want the books to end.

I like the cover jackets of both books (the pictures on the front of the books are really beautiful and well done). I like the worlds these authors have created. I like the characters, even if some of them are total jerks or just plain evil (at least the ones that are developed well enough or seem likeable). I like jumping into another universe and seeing/feeling what these characters feel. Heck, I even like the font! (There is something so peculiar about font. If the font is wrong, I just cannot get into the story. It bugs me!)

I am almost done with Wither - like five chapters away from completion. I am in chapter 4 in the Clockwork Angel. As much as I want to continue on with these stories I do not want it to end either! I know there will be sequels (which I will eagerly devour) that I can wait for... but at the same time I wish the books would stretch on longer. Just for a couple more chapters or about 60 pages more!

I do not want to leave the world I have delved into. I want to know more about the world(s) I am in - why is this the way it is, what made this character this way, what else is within the book the character is reading, what is within their home, what are they wearing, what are they doing? I always want to know more!

But sadly, the books must end and I will have to return them to the library. Hopefully loads of other people will pick up the book and enjoy it for themselves too. And until those sequels come out I will have to sit and wait patiently. As well as pick up other books (lots of other books) to read and enjoy!

damn virus

Hey you.


Bad news. I have a virus on my computer. I have some idea where the virus came from. I found this game website where I played angry birds for awhile, so it might have come from there. Porn websites kept popping up randomly whenever I would go to gossip websites. Don't know how that happens!
But when I logged into my computer this popup kept coming up screaming how I had a virus and I need to fix right away and blahblahblah. Yeah, like I am going to click on that *thing*.


Anyway. My dad is reformatting the computer to erase EVERYTHING off of it. My history, my cookies, everything. =[


So for now I am on a school computer typing this up. I will try to keep this blog updated. But with exams coming down on full force, do not expect too much of me in the next few weeks! Hopefully by the end of May I will be updating my blog more often.

BSing your papers

Can I just say that BSing papers is first used in middle school, developed in high school, and then driven to it's fullest potential during college?


I guess I just did say that. BOOM.

Puppy Cam!!

Oh my goodness gracious. Yesterday I was on http://www.m.gawker.com/ and I found this link to a livestream Shiba Inu puppycam! This Shiba Inu mom (Kika) gave birth to her third and final litter of puppies and they are adorable! There are six puppies, three boys and three girls. Right now they are all mashed up together taking a nap. And they look more like overgrown guinea pigs than anything else! Here is the link if you want to look at them: (okay stupid Blogspot will not let me copy and paste) http://m.gawker.com/5794814/puppy-cam-the-third-final-generation. I hope it links! I know there is a link button within the blogspot posting page but I am such a f*cktard when it comes to this website I wrote the address all by hand. :P

Can I borrow this? K Thanx

What would you need to survive on a desert island? -------------------- (1) knife -- make a shelter with it, start a fire with it, cut up food, admire my nasty teeth in its reflection... (2) Harry Potter books 1 through 7 ... (3) loads of Water ... (4) My own volleyball named Viola (5) flares... (6) loads of wood , gotta make fire + spears + a raft if I ever need to leave ... (7) about a ton of sunscreen... (8) chapstick ... (9)i-pod (that magically never runs out of juice and is somehow updated every month with the newst music) ... (10) sleeping bag ... (11) bottle of Jackie D. ... (12) pillow... (13) lotion ... (14) a lighter .... (15) swimsuit + jeans + shoes + sandals + three hoodies + two t-shirts.

darnation

Guess what is going on outside? It is snowing. I am dead serious. It is the middle of April... two weeks (give or take) from May... and its snowing!? I won't even act shocked anymore because frankly you just gotta get used to it in Wisconsin. You really do. -------- Anyway, I am going out to dinner with my mom. Texas Roadhouse baby! Yumyum. Have you heard the newest single from Lady Gaga - "Judas"? Holy moly it is awesome! Its like a mash up of all of her earlier beats. You have a little Bad Romance, a little Paparazzi in there. Its subtle but you can hear it. Plus the lyrics are awesome (if not a little strange) and the beat is outstanding! I must have listened to it 20+ times already, its so good! ------- I am off to dinner, see ya!

bleeech

I am so sick right now. Not running-to-the-bathroom-to-hurl-up kind of sick, but that sick you get when you are sore + tired + feel antisocial. I started getting sick on Saturday. I could feel something creeping into my throat and into my head. Now on Wednesday night I can barely breathe (my nose is so congested and my throat is so sore) because I am either coughing all the time or hunched over... my head always hurts... and my nose is getting really congested. I tried the DayQuil and NyQuil stuff to cut off this cold or flu or whatever this is and it has not helped at all. I think I have to get worse before I can get better. But at least the NyQuil knocks me out quite nicely when I need to go to bed! lol. I hope I feel better this time next week. =[

the good and the bad

The Good: I got to go to an awesome Dining Out on Friday night with my mom and my cousin. We were at the Harley Davidson museum and got to eat really delicious food as well as listen to the Brigadier General of the Air National Guard talk to us. Then on Saturday I got a really AWESOME card from a certain friend of mine that really made me laugh and probably reduced some stress hormones floating around in my system. ----- The Bad: I have a Psych 205 test tomorrow that I am only half prepared for, I have to ask my mom for a big chunk of cash tonight to pay off tuition fines, I have yet to fill out my FASFA form, and I am pretty sure I am getting really sick right @ this moment. I can feel something settling into my throat and working its way into my head. :(

Scholarship!

Guess who won herself a $2,000 scholarship from the Airlift Tanker Association? This little woman right here! The ATA scholarship competition was for Arnold Air Society and/or Silver Wings cadets (like me!) who wanted to prove their worth and get some money for school. We had to write on something or someone associated with the Airlift Tanker Assocation - like an airplane, a mission, a heroic act, a person... I wrote about General Duane "HE-WHO-HELPED-ME-WIN-A-SCHOLARSHIP" Cassidy, a really hardworking Air Force officer. Thanks, sir! Unfortunately I will not be able to pick up the scholarship myself. They are being handed out at Americon, this convention in New York City for AAS cadets. I don't have the money to go over there so someone else will have to accept it for me. Oh well. But I still earned a scholarship! Yay me!!

Field Training -- yes or no?

Tomorrow I get to find out whether or not I made it into Field Training. A bunch of cadets have already found out today (cadets have to go see the Captain to find out) whether or not they get in. Three cadets I know have defintely gotten in, but I know quite a few more who have been rejected for a slot. I find out my fate tomorrow. If I get in, great. Six weeks in Alabama getting yelled at and stressed out in some blistering, sticky, stinky heat. If I do not get in - I have to go for another year as a GMC and try for Field Training in Summer 2012. These words may look like I am calm, cool, and collected - but right now I am a big bundle of anxious, depressed, scared nerves ready for a breakdown or a freakout. Or both. And in case you are wondering how Air Force cadets get selected for Field Training... We are lined up with ALL (which number in the thousands) the other competing cadets in the country and we are judged on our: -school GPA -cadet standing: are you in the top or middle or lower 1/3 of the cadet class? This is in terms of AFAS gpa (Air Force classes), attendance, extra activities within rotc (like recruiting, color guard, etc...), integrity, service, excellence... stuff like that. -PFA score (personal fitness assesment. I got a 93 or 94 last semester and a 96 this semester, which is great because a lot of cadets did even crack the 90s. keep in mind this is out of a 100) -year plan: are you a 200, 250 (me), or a 500? a 200 is someone who has been in the GMC program for 2 years, a 250 is someone who has been a GMC for less than a year at this point, and a 500 was rejected for a slot last year and they are aiming for a Field Training slot again this semester. I have heard 250s get special consideration because they are on the fast track to becoming an officer. -scholarship student?: if you are on a scholarship, the Air Force is basically paying for your education and so they have a need to get you through Field Training because they are investing in YOU. And because the monetary budget for scholarships was overextended last year NO SCHOLARSHIPS for anyone this year (unless you won one in your past. then whoopee for you.) There is probably a bit more to it but that is all I can remember at this point. Anyway, where I think I stand on this set is: GPA: pretty low, 2.89 cadet standing: fairly good, I am in the top 1/3 PFA: great, scored a 93/94 and a 96 year plan: 250, might help me this semester. scholarship: HA! Plus keep in mind there are a lot more faces than places (too many cadets aiming for too few slots) in regards to Field Training. This year A LOT of cadets aimed for a Field Training (more than the past few years) slot so the general timing may work against me and a lot of other cadets. But whatever happens, happens. I find out tomorrow whether or not I got in this year. And yes the results (and the ensuing happy-oh-thank-God-I-got-in or the fuck-my-motherfucking-fucking-life-and-fucking-fuck-everyone-fucking-else-how-come-they-got-in-I-am-so-fucking-angry-I-want-to-take-out-my-frustrationonsomeoneandIhatethefuckingworld!!!!-rant. ...I really hope no one from my det. finds this!!!!!!

NCIS

I grabbed Season 1 + 2 + 3 from the library. This week is my spring vacation. I have an unlimited supply of pizza, OJ, and popcorn. NCIS MARATHON IT IS!!!!

VACATION!!

Phenix is turning into such a little hipster. He has the digital Navy uniform on (well I do not know if that is what is really is but that is what it looks like to me!) with his Mom's sunglasses on. What a smoothie.

It is my spring vacation week! No LLAB, no PT (thank goodness because I had to crank out 100+ pushups today and I don't think I had the right form. My back is killing me), no school... technically anyway. I won't be able to fully relax during my spring break week. I will probably be studying every day working on powerpoints, studying for the quizzes my professors have promised will pop up when we come back... my bibliography for my TEN PAGE term paper is due soon.
But I'll deal with all of that on Monday. I get tonight and the weekend off. =]

Now where is that orange juice? Nothing feels better than a cold cup orange juice on a sharp spring day like this in Wisconsin.

By the way, would you believe that the snow is actually melting? I AM SUPER SERIAL!! (South Park joke there)
The snow is actually melting away and I can see the grass and the dirt and the little flowers starting to bud and grow and it is so exciting!! After this long, hard weekend we are finally getting SPRING!

(What is your bet it'll snow next week?)

All I talk about it school and the weather. I have to start talking something actually interesting real soon.

Wednesday

Oh my gosh... is that stuffing I smell cooking in the oven? Oh hells yeah!! I love me some stuffing. The stuffing you get in the turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas? I can eat that stuff anytime during the year. Haha... stuff.

Okay I just got up from a nap so I am feeling a little loopy. Bare with me here.

Today was a fair day. I had to get up @ 0430 for LLAB. So I have been up for (looks at clock) over 14 hours. I have about 5 or 6 more hours to go before it is bedtime. Bleech.
But I only have one class tomorrow and no quizzes or tests tomorrow so... I won't be doing any homework. =] Procrasination nation!! I'll do it tomorrow! ;)
Plus it was really nice out today. Like in the high fifties! In fact it is 60 degrees out right now!! But give it a couple of more days and I guarantee you it'll be 20 degrees again. This is Wisconsin after all.
And in Math class today we had a quiz. I think I did fairly well on it. I managed to answer all the questions in a good amount of time and I was really confident that I knew what I was doing. So that was fun.

So all in all, a good day.

spring vacation

It is vacation week for Wisconsin colleges. At least for most of them.
MU has off this week and then UWM has their (my break) the week after that. It'll be nice to sleep in. Keep in mind sleeping in means I get up at 0800 instead of my usual 0520. So extra two hours and thirty minutes of sleep! Yayyyy!
Other colleges (such as Carroll, Carthage, etc...) have their breaks this month too. The exception is MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering) who has their spring vacation at the very end of April.

Keep in mind, I will not be doing that much "relaxing" on my break. I will probably be at the Detachment (where AFROTC is held) and at school studying and working on projects, term papers, and problems that are due when I get back to school. Might as well use the time I have during the vacation week to get started on my projects rather than scramble during the week I return to school.

But these next few weeks will be a bit odd. Since pple are using their vacation to go home (a lot of ROTC cadets are out of town students are come from different parts of Wisconsin). Others that are staying in Wisconsin (at least in this part of Wisconsin) will probably chill at home and relax. I will probably attend ROTC events (like Physical Training and Leadership Lab) during my vacation week because... well... might as well do it you know? :p

is it... getting... warmer?

Oh my good golly goodness. Is it getting warmer out? Is it possible to go outside without wearing four layers of clothes? I... I think it might be happening!

Or is Wisconsin being its usual teasing self?

happy birthday Zach

Happy Birthday Z! My younger brother is an official adult today at the age of eighteen. Good for him. My mom celebrated with Chinese food (food orgasm in my mouth) and a bunch of neat gifts for Z. There are a bunch of leftovers in the fridge (DIBS!!!) and a happy tummy as a result. The girls were over too. JuJu is acting like her usually bratty herself. JerJer is actually the nice twin now. Strange, seeing how a couple of years ago JuJu was the good twin and JerJer was the bad twin.

Anyhoodle. Z was ready to celebrate his adulthood. One of the first things he did was pop in my INGLORIOUS BASTERDS dvd so he could watch it. I have been telling him for months now that he cannot watch it bc it is an R-rated movie and he is not 18. Well now that excuse will not work...

this bloody weather

Oh my Gosh. It is horrible outside. The sleet is making things really, truly dangerous. I have to drive with my front right window down because the window is covered in ice! And if I don't turn on the car and press the right buttons TEN MINUTES before I leave for PT or school I will be freezing the whole time and I will not be able to see out my window.

CURSE YOU GLOBAL WARMING!!

snow!?

Oh Wisconsin. You little tease.

Guess what is going on outside? Yep. It is snowing. But not just snowing. This is some serious sleet falling on the Wisconsin ground. It started Sunday morning and it has not let up.
Snow would be one thing. It is light, fluffy, sticky, but it can be managed. This sleet? Not so much. Outside most people have to shovel the snow manually. Their snow blowers do not work with this heavy snow.

So I am off to school. Thankfully I take the bus but still... a ten minute ride to the bus stop could prove to be very dangerous. I hope I get there and back safe. And with my car and body and soul in one piece.

But keep in mind this is Wisconsin so anything can happen!

I have not been on here forever!

Oh wow. I have a lot to answer for don't I? I have not been here in so long. Sorry Kelsey! lol.

I better fix that now. Today is going pretty well. I kicked butt in my PFA (Personal Fitness Assessment) and I managed to switch a frustrating History class for a Wilderness cooking class. No seriously, a wilderness course. I hope I have fun in it!
I tried swapping the classes but for some reason it wouldn't work. So I added the Wilderness course first and then dropped the History class. I am still attending school full time (12+ credits count as full time) and now I get to leave school a little bit earlier! Yay me!
I just hope I did it right. I am scared I might get hit with fines or get an e-mail from my teacher demanding to know why I dropped my class without clearing it with her first. If you want to drop a class at my UW college you have to get it approved by your teacher in the classes you are dropping and the class you want to attend.
The Wilderness class is a half-semester course and I was assured that I could drop the History course and take this Wilderness course just fine. I certainly hope so!!