What I really hate, is improper comma usage

Ew. That title literally hurts my eyes.

I have found a new respect for my friend Carly. She works in the writing center at GVSU. I absolutely cannot stand proofreading people's papers when there are grammar errors in them (as there inevitably are), and I had to do that yesterday. Now I am blogging about it because I need a place to vent.

If a friend asks me to proofread a paper or essay for them, I don't mind at all. As a Language Arts major, I have the skills to help them out. I will NOT proofread it in front of them, though, because I get too worked up. Sometimes in class we have to do peer review in class, and that's tough. I have to contain myself when I get all frustrated.

Why do I get so frustrated by grammar and punctuation errors? I don't know. I just really, really do. For some reason I feel that all college students should know how to use basic grammar and punctuation. These are not strong points for my mom, so sometimes she will have me grade her students' papers for her. Well, she used to anyway. I don't do it anymore because it makes me too angry. I will literally sit and write all over the paper, sighing angrily and saying things out loud such as, "Oh my gosh WHY would you think a comma goes there?!?" or "YOU'VE MADE THAT MISTAKE FOUR TIMES!! CUT IT OUT!" or "I am going to call your old English teachers and tell them that they FAILED with you!" Yeah, it's pretty bleak.

Last night one of Rex's friends asked me to proofread a paper for him, and I just about lost it while I was proofreading. First of all, he asked me to proofread it and then handed me the computer. I gulped and said, "You want me to proofread it here? Right now?" I glanced nervously at Rex, and he just smiled. He knows how much I hate that. The friend said that yes, I did have to proofread it right then because the paper was due in a few hours. Blast. I steeled myself and decided that I would not freak out if there were grammar and punctuation errors. Besides, this guy is pretty smart. There probably wouldn't be any anyway.

Let me just give you a few snippets of the ensuing conversation I had:

Me: "Um, if i see something small that needs to be fixed, do you want me to fix it?"

Him: "Like what?"

Me: "Like indenting the first line of the paper..."

Him: "Okay, sure."

*gripping my leg to keep from freaking out...this is going to be a long paper*

Me: "I'm going to go ahead and capitalize this word because it's at the beginning of a sentence. Is that okay?"

Him: "I guess, if you're sure it's supposed to be capitalized."

Me: "Yes. I'm quite sure."

*digging my nails into the palm of my hand so hard it leaves marks*

Me: "I think a colon would work better in this sentence."

Him: "What's a colon?"

Me: "Uh...the thing with the two dots..."

Him: "Okay, whatever."

*biting my tongue to keep from saying something like, "Who let you pass elementary school English??"*

The good news is that I made it through, and I was able to keep my composure. I must say, though, it was HARD. I can't believe that Carly does this everyday to help people with their papers. I find it too emotionally taxing. I left in an absolutely horrible mood, upset with an education system that never taught him things such as colons and capitalizing the first letter of sentences. Rex found it humorous how much this angered me, but it really did. HOW is it okay that he didn't know those things?! He's not dumb! He definitely could have known them if someone would have TAUGHT him correctly!!!

If my future students don't use punctuation correctly, especially commas, I will just kill them. Then they won't grow up and make people proofread their horrible papers.

Perhaps that is a bit extreme; I must rethink that position.

Now I have vented, and I feel better. Thanks for reading. Want me to proofread any of your papers? Ha ha...

Weddings are not a big deal

It jars my brain a little bit to even see this title actually typed out in print on my screen. But it's true. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage. The wedding doesn't matter - I'm preparing for a marriage.

Desking

I am incredibly bored working behind the Mayo front desk, and I don't want to pull out my homework. It's Friday night, for goodness sake! So instead, I am going to write a haiku. Today my friend Melanie came to visit me with her four year old son Travis. He's...well...here's the haiku:

Running, jumping, CRASH
Guard all of your valuables
Human tornado

The kid is CRAZY! He's pretty funny, though. He was running down my hall causing all sorts of a hullabaloo, and people were poking their heads out of their doors to see what was going on. Rex held him over his head like a "jet" so that Travis could fly down the hall at warp speed. I can't decide if Travis makes me want to have kids or to never have children ever, but what I do know is that it's fun when he visits and he does all sorts of cute things. It was really good to see Melanie too. I was in her wedding...oh goodness...nine years ago? (I am OLD!), and now we're talking about mine. Weird how life comes full circle like that, you know? I mean, when you think about all of the intricacies of life, it makes homework seem completely irrelevant! Therefore wasting time behind the desk is totally justified. :-)

Happiness

I think that a lot of times people like to vent about things that are going wrong in their lives or how their problems are just making things really difficult.  I have times when I need to do this too.  Lately, though, I've been venting about something else: I. AM. SO. HAPPY!!!

Seriously, I have never had a more "happy" period in my life than what I am experiencing right now.  Sometimes I feel guilty because I know people are struggling all around me, yet I am so blessed!  So, so blessed.  Like, all-my-dreams-came-true-and-I-can't-imagine-life-any-better-than-this blessed.  Therefore, because I know there will come a time when I am not so belligerently happy, I am going to write about my joy right now so that maybe I can bottle up a bit of it to drink of later when life gets harder.

Let's take a look at my life right now.  I am getting married to my best friend in less than eight months.  I loved him like crazy before we got engaged, but being engaged has brought us even closer (which I didn't realize was possible).  I bet that when we get married we'll get even closer still, and that is mind-boggling.  I just love him so much!  I am so thankful that God brought us together. 

Okay, so I'm deeply in love.  That's enough to make anyone's life happy.  Let's move on.  Not only am I in love, but last month I got back from a trip to Australia that I won in a random sweepstakes.  I have been so lucky in drawings lately - I've won a trip to Australia and New Zealand (which was AWESOME), an ipod, $200 cash, and a $40 Macy's Gift card.  Ummm...cool!  So I keep entering sweepstakes waiting to see what I will win next.

So I'm in love and I'm lucky.  Pretty good life, right?  It doesn't stop there!  Lately my family has been getting along SO MUCH better than in the past.  My parents aren't fighting as much.  Last weekend I even saw them HOLD HANDS (*gasp!*).  He bought her a kayak, and then she let him borrow it without even getting mad.  You don't realize how huge this is.  They seem to - dare I say it? - LOVE each other!  This makes me want to frolic through campus and just do some ridiculously giddy dance because my family is going to stay together, and they're going to be happy about it!  Hooray!!!  Also, my little sister Cara and I went SHOPPING together last weekend.  The sister who I had to pay $1 to let me curl her hair and then she cried because of the awful "girliness" of it all voluntarily went shopping with me.  She actually suggested it!  She's turning into a little woman, and she actually wants me to be a part of it.  She's one of my best friends, and I love how often I get to talk to her.  My family is getting tight - like, boy scout knots tight - and I am so thankful for that.  I couldn't ask for anything more.

I'm in love, I'm lucky, my family is getting really close...could life get better?  Surely not!  Oh but wait - it does!  I took a job as an RA at MSU this year, and because of this job my amount of friends at school has at least doubled.  I have all of these really close friends now that a year ago I would not have even been able to identify.  Going through crazy RA training does something to people, though, and in a KAMSC-esque fashion we all just became super close super quickly.  Not only do I love my new friends, but I love having such a good excuse (wedding) to stay in touch with my old friends too.  It's easy to call them about wedding plans (I have eight bridesmaids.  Don't judge.  I couldn't narrow it down), and then actually just end up talking about life.  Between my new friends and my old friends, I always have people to talk to.  I genuinely care about them, and I feel like they care about me too!

Love. Luck. Family. Friends.  Let's see...other areas of my life?  Oh, school.  School is great.  None of my classes are horrible, and some of them are GREAT.  I'm taking YOGA, for goodness sake!  I love Yoga, and I look forward to it every day.  All of my classes this semester are actually applicable to real life in obvious ways, and that is awesome!  Perfect set-up for a senior year.

Lastly (but most importantly), God has been teaching me so much lately.  I feel as though in the past I've grown most during times of suffering, but now I'm learning that I can grow in times of prosperity as well!  I feel like God is really showing me a lot about myself and His plan for my life, and that is awesome!  To wake up in prayer has never really happened to me before, but I'm starting to learn what He meant when He said "pray continually."  To be so close to Him is amazing.

My whole life I have wished I was someone else.  When I was really little I wanted to be my mom because I thought that all adults were perfect.  When I was in seventh grade I wanted to be Kaleigh becuase Marcus liked her, and clearly that was the most that any girl could ever ask for.  In high school I wanted to be Leah because she could run so fast, or possibly Carrie because she was the homecoming queen.  I also wanted to be a celebrity because they were so universally loved.  Being Beyonce would have been awesome - she was the ideal picture of beauty and talent.  Now, though, I honest to goodness would not trade places with anyone - celebrity or otherwise.  Not for a million dollars.  I am happy with my life just the way it is, and no one has a life I would desire more.  God loves me the way I am, Rex loves me the way I am, so I do too.   You know what?  I honestly believe that if Rex had a choice between Beyonce and I, he would choose my ski-jump nose and huge feet over her sparking smile and dazzling curves.  Call me naiive, but I know that it's true.  There's some amazing security in that.  What a weird guy, but I love it.  He thinks he's the luckiest person in the world, but I know the truth.  I am.

When walking down the street, I'll sometimes (an embarrassingly high number of times) randomly break into a goofy grin or just start laughing because I can't contain all of this joy.  People think I'm really weird, but whatever.  I can't keep it inside.

MY LIFE IS AMAZING

Cheeky Little Boy

I've never had a brother, but I always wanted one.  I have one sister and I love her TO DEATH, but I always wondered what it would be like to have a brother.  Would he be nice?  Would he be obnoxious?  Would we be friends?  Would I like his friends?  Would we ever hang out?  Would I have to do the dishes less times per week?  What does it actually mean to love someone "like a little brother?" I feared that I may never have these questions answered.  This summer, I ended up living with my best friend Carly and her family.

And I found my little brother.

Taylor Crookston is pretty much the bomb.  If you have ever read my "Inside These Crookston Walls" blog, I'm sure you read plenty about him and his hilarious antics.  Living with the Crookstons was a BLAST, and it 100% would not have been the same without Taylor.  He gave me the first glimpse of what it would be like to have a little brother, and I LOVED it and I love him (as a little brother, of course - hence the whole point of this blog post).

Taylor is pretty much the teenage boy version of Carly (which, until this summer, I did not realize was possible).  I mean, if you take Carly and subtract boobs, mascara, lots of boy drama, and add some manly stuff, you've got Taylor.  This might explain why we became so tight so quickly.  I love Carly, so what's not to love about Taylor?  The more I got to know him, though, the more I got to know his individual characteristics and what makes him unique.  He's really, really awesome.  If you don't know Taylor, you should.  According to Carly, maybe I like him too much: "Christine, you like Taylor better than me!!!" was heard a few times. Anyway, we got pretty tight and blahdy blahdy blah.  End of summer.

Okay.

So THEN...I got engaged. (YAY)  And THEN...I realized another fundamental difference between Taylor and Carly.  Carly would never be cheeky enough to post a blog entry like this:

The Official Plea

Who (at the Crookston household) was the first to accept your pet/best friend? Me. Who do you have a rat"like" secret handshake with? Me. Who do you bond with about naming Beyonce's baby, Sasha? Me. Who has taken you on a date in the last three months (that was not your fiance)? Me. Who tricks you into watching "not-so-sad" movies like Steel Magnolias? Me... that one still might be tender :) Who came to Cindy's birthday party... happily? Me. Who has won "Crookston Moment of the Day" countless times? Me. Who is going to cry at your wedding and already knows it? Me. Who is the best "little brother" in the world? Obviously me. Who is tacky enough to ask to be apart of your wedding party via a blog? Me... Does this qualify me to be an usher in your wedding? Why, yes, I would love to think so, but it is up to you. It would be a great honor to be a very small part of one of the happiest days of your life.
Love, Love, Love
Taylor

I mean, what do I do with this?  I guess my choices are to awkwardly turn him down, ignore it altogether, reluctantly agree, or just tell him that he had it in the bag from the moment I got my ring.

Taylor, if you're "tacky" enough to ask via blog, then I'll return the favor.  Will you please, please be an usher in my wedding?  Rex and I would be incredibly lucky to have you as a part of our special day.

Love love love,

Christine

Letter to Myself at 25

Dear 25-year-old me,

First of all, congratulations on being alive. There were definitely a few tumor-y years there where I thought you would never exist. So, if you really are 25-year-old me and reading this, SWEET. You made it to a quarter of a century. You can no longer use a 24 pack of candles on your birthday cake. Good for you.

I have a million questions, but I suppose they are pointless because by the time you read this they will already be answered. Oh, well. From that point of view this whole letter would be pointless, so here we go. You did marry Rex, right? Please say yes? Because if you are still with him, 25-years-old and not married, I am seriously mad at you. You have been together for what, eight years? If you're not married by then, that's ridiculous. If you broke up with him, you're an idiot. You and I are officially in a fight (can you fight a different aged version of yourself? I will look into this). If he broke up with you...well, that's just silly. He wouldn't do that. I mean, you wouldn't break up with him either... Whatever. I just hope you guys are married, and I hope he asked you before you were practically old, like, 23 or something. He he he... ;-)

On the note of marriage, do you have any kids? I hope not. Why on Earth would you want to have a kid, especially at the age of 25? I'm sure if you do have one then he/she is all cute and blahdy blahdy blah, but your twenty-year-old self can't really comprehend that kind of responsibility at this point. Kids are scary! You mess them up enough by teaching them - don't try bringing one of your own into the world yet. You throw birthday parties for your rat; I think you have some issues to work through. lol.

You did graduate from MSU in 2010, right? Because that's definitely the plan. Let's not deviate from that, okay? And you got the math minor? Have you used it yet? I really hope you use it in life. What are you doing for a job, anyway? Do you like it? If you don't like it, why don't you quit? Do something you love. I realize you need money and all that, but teaching is your passion. Please do that? Unless you're a stay at home mom or something (back to "please don't have kids yet!"). Please don't call me immature and naiive for telling you to do something you love. See it is "pure of heart." I know people who have ruined their lives by working a job they hate. Don't do that, okay? Promise?

How's your relationship with God going? Is it better than when you were 20? I hope so. It should get better every day. PLEASE tell me you've read through the entire Bible at least once. Don't get stuck in Ezikiel like I keep doing. Make it through! He loves you so much - are you being a living sacrifice for Him? Do people see Him in you? Are you giving all you have for His glory? That's all that really matters in life, you know.

Is the family doing okay? Please tell me they're all still around. Nana would be what, 77? That's not that old. Please don't tell me the cancer came back. How's Cara? She's graduating this year, isn't she? Where's she going to college? Did she go crazy in high school? (PS - your 20-year-old self calls it that she does). Are Mom and Dad more in love than they were when you were 20? Send them a note or something. They've gone through a lot to hold the family together. Is Dad more mature than when you were 20? (The 20-year-old self calls it that he's not). Also, did he ever sell that house? Did Cara get her dog?

Let's see...advice for me at 25...don't lose sight of the fact that you can't take life too seriously. The things I'm freaking out about right now: getting my passport in time for Australia, graduating on time, whether or not I'll be a good RA...how many of those matter to you at 25? Probably not many. How many of your problems will matter when you're 30? Just keep things in perspective, okay? God's got it all under control. He knows right where you will be when you read this, just like He knows right where I am in life right now as I write this. Pretty cool, huh? He can see both of us at the same time. HI, YOU! (I'm waving at you as you read this). Anyway, follow His plans, because your plans, when not in line with His, inevitably fail every time. If you've learned nothing else in twenty years of living, that's it. I'm sure you'll have to learn it again and again by the time you're twenty-five.

Do cars run on water yet?

Here's to your next five years,
20-year-old you

Poems About Things

Poems are super fun. I may not be a fantastic poet, but who cares?? This is my blog so I can write what I want. No one's forcing you to subject yourself to this sub-Shakespearean level expertise.

For my creative writing class I had to write a poem in iambic pentameter. Here it is:

Her Royal Cuteness

I have a rat; her name is Cindy Lou
She’s gray and soft; how friendly she can be
If she was gone I don’t know what I’d do
I hope she always stays so close to me

Sometimes she’s in a kind of cranky state
But mostly she just kisses and is sweet
We found each other; maybe it was fate
That me and my best friend would just so meet


See? Wasn't that fun? Poetry is fun. Here's my ode to working at KAMSC:

Ode to KAMSC

I get payed to work with play-doh
That is pretty fun, you know?
We make Oobleck and we make slime
We just have fun all the time
Kids learn something when they're here
Math and Science- give a cheer!
School can be so very fun
That students cry when the week is done
So every summer, kids make me smile
I hope I work here for a while

I love KAMSC...I am actually here right now, working in the office, but my jobs are done so I'm just hanging out. Yep, that's right. I am getting paid to update my blog with silly poems. This is a good job.

Here's a poem I wrote about drowning:

Water

My lungs plunge into my gut
Searching for air
The water wells and swells around me
My sight sinks slowly
Salty tears press me from every side
And I don’t know which way is up
The loose ends of my hair swim sleepily
While my brain beneath them breathes
The last bit of oxygen in my body
The dreadful darkness dampens
And prepares to take me over
Something grabs my arm
Pulls me away from my tomb
Back into the light


Oooooh. Creepy, huh? I was going to end this post with that, but I figured that's sort of a melancholy way to leave you. I will end on this incredibly corny poem about farm life. I had to write it for a class and there were specific parameters, so don't judge too hard. It kinda makes me laugh, though.

I Just Moved Onto a Farm

I wake up to the sounds of ducks quacking
When I peek out the window I see sun
reflecting off of the morning dew
It cheerily wishes me “good morning” in harmony with the ducks
Chickens add their staccato
And horses whinny loud enough to wake the Queen of England
2,000 miles away
I roll out of bed and pull on some clothes
I have to go feed the animals
The goat’s fur is as rough as the straw they sleep in
And their horns threaten any unwelcome visitors
I am welcome, though, and they let out a happy bleat
Chickens gather round to peck at the goat’s food
Like old women at a clearance rack
I will feed them in a minute
The ducks splash happily in their kiddie pool
Which is the ocean in their farm duck world
The horses settle down a bit because they know I am coming.
Moving to this place made me nervous at first,
But the animals assure me I am welcome.


So there they are! Some fantastically awesome poems for your enjoyment! He he he...I love poems.

This made my week

His Plan

Maybe I am starting to see why God let me go through the Hellish ordeal earlier this summer. I think He wanted me to be at the Crookstons so that I could see an example of what life is supposed to actually be like.

God's plan for marriage and family can, in fact, work. This may seem like, "DUH" to many people, but I have never been truly convinced of this fact. It has been amazing for me to see the way things can be. It kills me that my family has been hurt in the process of me moving out, but even my dad sees that the Crookston's is a far better environment for me to be living in. He's just sad that "our family has never been able to be like that."

The Crookstons have been such a good example of God's love and generosity. They provide a sense of community and belonging that I have never experienced before. I feel as though I've been pessimistic about life, but living here has given me a sense of hope. Life can, in fact, turn out okay. God has been revealing His plan to me about how life is supposed to be. This is COOL. Getting to the point where I had to move in with them was a long and painuful road, but I can already see God using this in my life. I think He's going to work it all out.

Past and Future

I am one day - ONE DAY - away from the end of my junior year of college.  WHOA - life comes at you fast.  I decided to take a post to contemplate my memories (good and...erm....not so good) from this year and look ahead to what fun I will have this summer!

This year I...

1. Got MSU football tickets for the first time.  GREAT idea.  I will definitely be doing this again.  The best game was vs. Wisconsin, who I watched beat us last year.  THIS year, Rex and I sat twelve rows up from the field right behind the field goal posts where Swenson kicked a field goal with seven seconds left to let MSU win by 1.  YAY!!!  I still have the ticket stub in my wallet.

2. Had a sweet fall semester schedule: classes from 10:20 to 2:30 on Monday through Thursday.  This was fab.

3. Had an AWFUL spring semester schedule.  I took FOUR math classes!! WHO DOES THAT??  This was a bad idea.  One more exam and I will have survived, though, so this is good.

4. Found out my brain tumors of last year "mysteriously" disappeared.  Praise God!

5. Took a class with Rex.  It was so fun!  Well, the class wasn't.  The class was totally boring.  Rex and I passed notes during every class, though (a la government senior year), and that was fun.  I am fully keeping my notebook from that class.  It's hilarious.  I think I 4.0-ed that class, too...we shall see...

6. Fretted about going overseas.  I spent countless hours trying to find a way to get overseas this summer.  I have a travel itch or something.  Anyway, I tried study abroad, traveling with Rex, traveling with other friends, traveling by myself...nothing worked.  Finally I said, "Okay, God.  I give up.  I'll just stay home this summer and see what you have for me there."  Shortly after, I won a sweepstakes and got a free flight to Australia. Ha ha, God, very funny.  Anyway, I'll see what happens with that.  I'm not sure I want to go to Australia by myself, but we shall see!

7.  Worked in a lab.  I had a really fun job working for the DSME (department of science and math education).  I had two bosses.  The first one is named Margaret, and she is this kooky woman (oldish....fifties?) who listens to Usher and gets french manicures and is really sure she's totally hip.  I love it.  The other one is Dave, this awesome and slightly nerdy (graduated with a Physics major) guy who is currently trying to impregnate his wife so that they can have offspring to name Xellos (boy) or Myria (girl).  Very cool. (?)

8.  Worked in the cafeteria.  Oh heavens I hated this job.  I eventually quit (see the entry about a creeper...I think it was in March?).

9. Had a fantastic roommate.  It was SO FUN to have Trissa as my roommate.  She is super cool and makes a great friend, plus it was fun to hang out with her and Josh and Rex.  It's a shame I'm not living in Williams next year...I will definitely miss her.

10. Became a rat mom/rat grandma.  See my posts about Cindy Lou if you want to read about my rat, but she had babies this fall (they were precious!).  Hopefully she'll be a mom again this summer...we shall see...

11. Joined the West Circle Bible Study and made GREAT friends with those girls.  They're super fantastic, and I can't wait to come back next year!

I think that's good for now...it was a great year.  Only what, 104 days until the fall semester begins?  Something like that.  In the mean time, though, I have SUMMER!  Here are the things I am looking forward to for this summer:

1. Sonic - Rex and I are going to order one of everything off of the dollar menu.  I can't wait.  Sonic is so tasty...

2. Beach!  I love MSU, but mid Michigan has no nearby beaches.  I'm excited for South Haven trips with all of my friends.

3. New Hampshire - exactly 20 days until Rex and I fly out east to visit my grandma!  It should be a great time.

4. Hanging out with Cara - I don't get to see her very much during the school year, and she's pretty cool.

5. Summer classes - Don't judge me.  I'm taking creative writing, among others.  Only one math class.  It looks like a cakewalk compared to this semester.  I'm excited.

6. Cindy's babies - hopefully we'll whip up another batch of them this summer, and they will be so cute!!!  I'm so giving one to Carly...he he...

7. Carly - I don't really get to see her much during the year, so it will be nice to see her over the summer

8. Beth, Jula, and I's "girls weekend" - Our weekend at the cabin is going to be so fun.  I'm totally stoked.

9. Camping - I currently have no solid plans to go camping, but I think it should happen.  Camping is too fun to go an entire summer without.

10.  Abroad trip? So I have this free trip to Australia...we shall see what comes of it...

11. Carrabbas - Rex and I's favorite restaurant.  They don't have one in Lansing.  I can't wait to taste that meat sauce again...mmmm.

12. Texas Corral Dooleys

13. Wendy's - Rex and I split 2 Spicy chicken go-wraps, one small chili and one medium fry.  $6.34.  Deliciousness.

14. Cooking!  On the subject of food, I don't get to cook much (at all) on campus.  I'm excited to try out new recipes and cook old favorites.  Rex will inevitably come over and try all of my concoctions and then tell me I'm a great cook.  I'm not sure whether or not he realizes that it's in his best interest to be honest, because if he says something is good then chances are he'll see it again someday. lol.

15. Tramp and Speed - This is so random, but I actually find myself really excited to play with Rex's dogs.  They're so fun, and I never had dogs at my house.  Now if only I could convince Mr. Webb to breed one of them and have some puppies...

16. Rex's mom's cooking - do I have too many entries on food?  Oh, well.  I love food.  Mrs. Webb's is delicious.  Especially her taco salad.

17. Taking Cindy and Houdini to the park - Rex and I already decided this.  I want to see Cindy go down a slide.  Maybe Cara can bring Mojo and Checkers, and it will be a party!

18.  Speaking of parties...Cindy's first birthday is in the first week of July.  I am SO throwing her a birthday party.  Charissa already said she'd come.  I'm sure Rex and Jake can bring Houdini and Patch, and Cara can bring Mojo and Checkers.  It will be so fun.

19. Weddings - my cousin Julie is getting married August 1, so I have to be invited to that wedding because I'm her cousin.  Kelsey's getting married August 14, and she already told me I'm invited to that.  I love weddings.  I can't wait!

20. Cheddar - the poor girl must feel so neglected when I'm away at school and can't play with her.  Just because I'm a rat lover doesn't mean I forget about my little mouse.

21.  Walking to Meijer - this was super cool until we all turned sixteen and got our licenses.  Then we just drove everywhere.   I want to go back to walking.

22. KAMSC!!!!  How has it taken me this long to put this on the list?? I love KAMSC!!  As a second year teacher (fourth year working at KAMSC!), I'm not as nervous as I was last year.  Plus, Beth is teaching this year too, which is sweet.  Getting paid $17.67 an hour to do something I would volunteer for (don't tell Ms. Fisher that...lol) is seriously a good thing.

23. Dorothy, Clare, and Carly - On the subject of kids, these are my cousins-who-aren't-really-my-cousins-because-they're-Rex's (but I secretly think they like me better).  Last summer we had tea parties and dress up days, and it was so fun.  Also, last summer they took one of my KAMSC classes.  Rex's Aunt Beth says that Dorothy's bugging her about going again this year, so hopefully I have them as students again!  I will TOTALLY play favorites. lol.

24.  Double dates - Rex and I double with lots of fun people.  Josh and Charissa, Dan and Jula, Beth and Chris, Lynn and Larson, Rex's grandparents (ha ha...this is surprisingly really fun), and others.  We will NOT double with my parents again.  That was a DISASTER!  Funny, but not funny enough to do it again.  Ever. lol.

25. No homework when I don't want to do homework - As I said before, I'm excited about summer classes.  I'm especially excited that they're self-paced, which I've done before so I'm used to it.  It's great - I just do homework when I have time to, and there are really no deadlines.  Plus, I only have to get a 2.0 in the classes because as long as I pass they transfer to MSU with no grade reported.  Hooray!

26. A car - after not having a car for the past nine months, it will be great to have a set of wheels again.

27. Going back to school.  I will continue my countdown from now until then, but I can't wait until fall - SENIOR YEAR!! HOORAY!!!

So yeah, this year was great, hopefully the summer will be better, and hopefully next fall will be even better than that.  Life's going well.

Motto for the summer:  Beautiful day, great to be alive!

Why Edward Cullen Cannot Exist

***WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ALL OF THE TWILIGHT BOOKS AND PLAN ON EVER READING THEM IN THE FUTURE. THERE ARE SPOILERS***


I feel as though vampire mania is sweeping the nation. The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer has been called "the new Harry Potter" by many, and the books have sold millions of copies. There were midnight parties last fall celebrating the release of the movie Twilight, and there promises to be even more hysteria this fall with the release of the movie New Moon.

So I ask myself: why all of this hype?

I first wondered about the movie's male lead: Robert Pattinson. Girls everywhere are going nuts over him. A girl in my Bible study has a life-sized cardboard cutout of him in her apartment. I've noticed girls surfing fansites of him on their laptops during my math classes. There have been books written about him, and he's on the cover of multiple celebrity magazines every month. Why? Honestly, he's not that incredibly attractive. That's what started my quest to solve this Twilight hysteria mystery. He's not ugly, but based on looks alone I see no reason why he would cause this much of an uproar. I first thought perhaps this was a situation like the one I had in high school, where all of the girls in my class thought Eric was soooo sexy but I just wasn't seeing it. Upon further investigation, though, I realized that this is not the case. As a general trend from those I asked, those who had read the Twilight books found Robert Pattinson attractive, and those who had not read the books wondered, like me, what all of the fuss is about.

From this I came to the conclusion that girls are not in love with Robert Pattinson the actor, but rather are in love with Edward Cullen the character. I read the books myself to further investigate this theory, and it is one that I now believe is completely true. Edward Cullen is pretty irresistable. I've had girls from Jr. High obsessing over him and divorced single mothers telling me how they secretly pine for Edward Cullen as well. He appeals to all ages - why? I have come to the conclusion that it is because Edward Cullen is an ideal character and makes a great boyfriend/husband in the stories, but he is an unrealistic character due to circumstances in society today.

For girls to wish they could find their own version of Edward is kind of silly. While he is a work of literary genius, his character could not realistically exist in our world today. The first reason is because Edward is constantly doing heroic things to save Bella's life. In the books this is seen as great and Bella is seen as a practically helpless girl relying on Edward every step of the way. Even with overlooking the fact that real guys can't run at the speed of light and pick up vans, guys who are constantly rescuing girls are seen as white knights. The existence of a white knight is still longed for, but the existence of damsels in distress is becoming more and more frowned upon. If a girl is constantly needing rescuing and is fully dependent on a man, she is seen as forsaking her independence and as a "sellout" to her feminist peers. Girls are supposed to be strong and self-sustaining, and for a guy to constantly be saving them would be looked on with disdain rather than with admiration as they are in these books.

Another reason Edward cannot exist is because of his constant pressure on Bella to marry him. He convinces her to marry him at age eighteen and gets her pregnant on their honeymoon. In the books this is seen as soooo romantic and great that they're young and in love. In reality, if someone gets married and has a baby at age eighteen, this is seen as incredibly weird. Parents would not be as supportive as Edward and Bella's parents are. Society would put such a social stigma on them that it would undoubtably have an effect on their relationships with their families and friends and, in turn, on their relationship with each other. Also, raising a baby and keeping up a house at age eighteen would be financially pretty difficult if not impossible. Luckily, Edward has an unlimited supply of money at age seventeen. No seventeen year old in the world has an unlimited supply of money. Real people have to have jobs and have to struggle for a while before they can stand on their own feet. This is less romantic, though, so it's not in the story.

Edward can also not exist because his ending cannot exist. At the end of the Twilight books, Edward, Bella, and Renesme live happily ever after in their perpetually young and beautiful states with unlimited money, fancy cars, and beautiful house. Eternity is not seen as a progression of time that all of the characters will live through but rather a frozen state in which the moment of their extreme happiness will never end. This cannot happen. No one can be happy all the time. People are all going to have struggles in life, and the ups and downs of life are all part of reality. Edward never has to lose - he always wins and lives happily ever after in the end of any situation.

So, while many girls are looking for their "Edwards," they're going to be looking for a long time. He is a great ideal and makes a fantastic addition to the stories, but I fear that girls who constantly find themselves measuring the guys they meet against Mr. Cullen will find themselved perpetually disappointed. He's a fictional character, and no one quite like him will ever be able to exist. The fact of the matter is that reality keeps this from happening.

Letter to myself at 15

Hi fifteen-year-old me,

Don't kill me. Seriously, okay? Just read this and then give me a chance to explain. Since I know this is the number one question mark in your head at this point, I'm going to answer the question for you but then tell you how you got there: You go to Michigan State. Okay? Breathe. It's okay. It's not because MSU was your only option. You got into plenty of great schools. MSU just turned out to be the best, and you LOVE it here. Seriously. God knew what He was doing when He sent you to MSU. You're an education major. Funny, huh? You're so set on journalism right now...silly Christine. You don't like pressure and crazy spontaneous deadlines. You don't like writing what other people tell you to. You LOVE kids. Shouldn't the choice be obvious? Anyway, the College of Education at MSU is the #1 College of Education in the country (for the fourteenth year in a row this year!), so you're at the best school you can be at for your major. PLUS, in-state tution is definitely an advantage when you have to pay tuition. Yeah, you get a few scholarships and such, but it is surprisingly difficult to come up with thousands of dollars. You manage, though. Don't worry. Right now I'm a year away from graduating, and the financial horizon is pretty bright. Don't stress.

Speaking of "don't stress," Christine you have to CALM DOWN. You freak out too much. Yeah, KAMSC is hard, but let me let you in on a little secret: you do, in fact, graduate. Your final GPA comes out to a...3.86, I think? Yeah, that's right, I don't even remember it right now. I know that your GPA is practically engraved into your brain, but it doesn't actually matter that much. Seriously. There's going to be this one night where you go out for pizza with Laura and Emily (you meet them at the Civic) and spend the whole night laughing your head off and then don't get your Chemistry extra credit done on time, and you get a B+. Let me just tell you right now: WORTH IT. So worth it. The fun that you have in high school far outweighs the importance of your GPA. Once you start college, no one cares about it anyway. Plus, you get a 32 on the ACT, which is sweet. That opens a lot of doors.

KAMSC's killer, yeah, but you need to not stress out too much. Seriously. You spend way to many hours freaking out. Your study group is the BOMB, though. I'm 20 and still friends with all of them. It's way more fun when we get together now and don't have to study. :-)

Other than school...I guess the second most important thing you care about would be boys? Hmm...advice for you... OH! Since I know you're wondering about this, yes Nick does actually like you back. Don't date him for so long, though. As it stands right now, you guys make it through 10 months (oh, and contrary to what you believe, you don't get dumped). Don't let yourself get that attached, though. I mean, seriously Christine - you know that relationship is going nowhere. Why waste so much time on it? PLUS, there's this amazing guy waiting for you...and when you're hanging out with Nick you don't get together with the other guy until much later. Do you want to know who it is, or do you want to be surprised? Hmmm...knowing you, you want to know who it is. Okay, ready for this *drumroll*.....Rex Webb. Okay, once again, don't freak. He's not bald like in middle school when you date him. lol. He gets really attractive junior/senior year, you guys have Spanish 4 together (oh yeah, you skip Spanish 3) , and you become best friends. When you go to the hospital for five days junior year, Nick visits you once and Rex is either there and/or calls every single day. He's a really, really good guy. He doesn't tell you that he likes you because you have a boyfriend (once again, drop Nick sooner), but you guys stay close until a few months after you and Nick break up, at which point your friendship with Rex starts to become something more. He's amazing, Christine. The best guy in the world, I swear. You guys have been dating for two and a half years now, and he LOVES you. You love him, too. Oh, and I know you said that you never wanted to date anyone for more than two years before you married them, but you fell in love when you were seventeen. Getting married fresh out of high school wasn't very practical - you just weren't planning on falling in love quite so soon. You guys haven't been waiting because you're not sure about each other, though. I know that's what you were worried about. Mom and Dad dated for five years because they couldn't decide whether or not they wanted to commit...you and Rex decided to get married after you'd dated for two months. Yes, you were totally freaked out. But hey, as of now you guys are still together and just waiting it out until you're "old enough" to tie the knot. You graduate next year - who knows what will happen? But yeah, just know it's not one of those "Eh...do I actually like him?" type of things. You do like him. A lot.

Speaking of Mom and Dad...give them a break. They're not so bad. Especially Mom. You give her so much crap - I think you don't really know how much you hurt their feelings. Be nice. In three years you leave for college. Oh, and help Cara find new friends. Her Heritage friends turn super weird when they get to Jr. High. Renee threatened to kill her last week, and Amanda (yeah, she's thirteen) is dating a 21 year old. So find her some cool friends, ok? You're her sister - it's your job. As of now, though, Cara's still cool.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Keep your chin up and don't worry so much. Follow Christ in everything you do, because whenever you try to follow your own plans it turns out badly. He knows what He's doing with your life, so relax and enjoy it! :-)

Love,
Twenty-year-old me

This is funny

http://publius.mu.nu/archives/calle-cake.jpg

This is not Cindy. It is a very fat rat who is totally going to puke if he eats that pastry....he he he....when I saw this picture I laughed so hard I cried. Maybe it's a rat lover thing.

Cinderella

This post is dedicated to the furry ball of cuteness that is sitting in my lap as I type this.  My pet rat Cinderella is called Cindy for short, but she has a host of other nicknames including but not limited to:

1. Cindy Lou
2. Cindy Lou Who (very popular around Christmas time)
3. Cinders Linders
4. Ms. Linders
5. Her royal cuteness
6. Cinderella Lou
7. Cinderblock
8. Stinker Pinker
9. Pee Face (I bet you can guess when I use this one...)
   

Anyway, Cindy Lou is the highlight of my day.  I used to think this must mean that my days are pretty pathetically boring, but I have since decided that it actually means my rat is just pretty amazingly awesome.  She is always happy to see me.  Most caged animals do one of two things: either hide in corners and have to be forced to come out and socialize, or are constantly running around frantically trying to escape.  Cindy does neither.  She is perfectly content to sleep on her blue and red wooden hut or in the nest she's made for herself.  She cleans herself and plays with her toys like a good little girl, but then as soon as someone stands next to her cage she abandons whatever she was doing and moves to sit or stand eagerly at the door of the cage, ready to come out and play.

Every time I open the door of her cage to take her out, Cindy first puts her front paws on my hand and licks my fingers as if to say, "Hi, Mommy!  I love you!"  Then she does a huge stretch (many times accompanied by a yawn), whether or not she was sleeping, and then scampers onto my hand wide-eyed and ready for adventures.

Cindy likes to just sit on my shoulder and watch whatever I'm doing.  Once we watched Ratatouille together, and she happily watched the show until the part when the grandma started shooting at the rats.  When this started she darted into my arms and buried her head into me as if she was scared for the rats.  I think she was actually just scared by the loud noise, but either way it was adorable.

When I do homework, Cindy likes to help.  She has turned pages for me when I was reading by picking up the page with her mouth and scampering across the book to land the page on the other side.  She doesn't understand the idea that I actually have to read the page, though, so she would sometimes turn them too fast.  I didn't really mind.  College has taught me how to skim things.  Also, when I write, Cindy grabs the end of the pencil with her mouth and holds onto it with her hands as if she's going to try to write as well.  If I'm on the computer, she jumps up on the keyboard and runs around, making my essays and e-mails full of crazy typos that I have to go back and correct.  She seems proud of herself, though.  She tries to copy everything I do.  Maybe she's trying to earn a degree.

If any rat could earn a degree, it would be Cindy.  She is SO smart.  She can stand up on two legs and can walk a few steps that way as well.  Most recently Rex and I taught her to jump through a hoop, and she can make really high jumps!  She knows to come to the door of her cage when I call her out to come play (even if I'm not standing by the cage).  Teaching her tricks is so fun and easy, while with other rats it can be seemingly impossible (yes, I have tried).  Oh, and she's potty trained.  She sometimes has accidents and pees outside of her cage when she gets excited or scared, but she never poops outside of her cage.  Ever.  She's so smart.

Cindy loves her toys.  Her favorites are chew sticks that I buy at Pruess Pets 5/$1.00 and the plastic rings found on milk jugs, which obviously are free.  One time I came into my room to find Cindy jumping around looking very scared.  She had somehow wriggled halfway through one of the milk rings.  It looked like she had a bright orange belt around her waist, and she couldn't get it off!  Rex theorized that maybe she figured since it looked like a hoop, she would get a treat if she could jump through it.  It was a bit too small, though, and she got stuck.  What a goof.  Now I cut the rings before I give them to her so that she won't get stuck.

Cindy Lou is such a good friend.  She is extra calm and loving when I feel sad, and when she knows I'm excited she gets jumpy and excited too.  She loves me no matter what, and is constantly licking my fingers, ears, and nose with her affectionate kisses.  She is always, always excited to see me.  Do you have any idea what it does to my day when I know someone is waiting in my room, just dying to spend time with me?  She makes me feel so loved and needed.  I talk to her sometimes, which some people (*ahem CARLY*) think is super weird.  I like it, though.  Yesterday I practiced a twenty minute math presentation in front of her, and once I told her it was going to be twenty minutes about math she promptly settled down and closed her eyes for a nap.  She knows the right way to respond to math lectures...

Anyway, lest you should think I am crazy, I'm not the only one who likes Cindy.  Since meeting my adorable rat, many other people have gone out and gotten rats of their own: Rex, my mom, my sister, two of my cousins, Rex's little brother, one of Rex's cousins, a friend of mine who lives in my building, and most recently my roommate's friend who came over to visit my roommate, played with Cindy, and decided she wants a rat now too.  Cindy is seriously helping to spread rat love.  

Out of all of them, though, she's the best. YAY for Cindy!

Easter Sunday

Today at church our pastor talked about how God is more holy than we can envision, our sin is worse than we can imagine, and His grace is greater than we can fathom.  As with almost all of Pastor Kevin's sermons, I walked out of the service thinking, "That is SO true!"  Sometimes I see God as sort of a pocket pal; a cool little thing that a bunch of my friends and I all collect.  Sometimes I see Him as a perpetual WWJD bracelet used to convict me of things I'm doing wrong and to remind me to do what is right.  Sometimes I see Him as a therapist who I can talk to about my feelings and emotions and He can say "How does that make you feel?"  Sometimes I see Him as a malicious map drawer who knows the course my life is supposed to take, but He won't let me see it because He's having fun watching me run around in circles trying to figure it out myself.  Sometimes I see Him as a loving father, and sometimes as a wrathful avenger.  I know that some of these perceptions are true, and I know that some of them aren't.  One thing I know for sure, though, is that I can't fathom who God is.  His holiness goes beyond anything I will ever be able to figure out.  Pastor Kevin said it's like mixing the awe of entering a huge European cathedral with the amazement of looking into the Grand Canyon with the fear of suddenly finding yourself face to face with a bear.  It's so amazing and beautiful, but terrifying at the same time.  I wish I could fully understand this holiness, but at the same time I bet I wouldn't be able to handle it if I could.

I also learned that my sin is worse than I can imagine, but that His grace is greater than I can fathom.  I think sometimes my pride gets in the way of letting me see how sinful I really am.  It seems that I justify myself by saying my sins aren't as bad as others'.  For one thing, I actually do try to follow God.  I tell myself that has to count for something, but with His kingdom it's not actually the thought that counts.  I tell myself that the sins I've committed aren't as "bad" as some of the ones others have committed, but James 2:10 reminds me that "whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."  Sin is kind of an all or nothing type deal.  Either a person is sinful or they aren't.  Black and white.  People try to see it as a spectrum: "Yeah, I'm not as pure white as God, but maybe I'm sort of a dusty gray...not as gray as ashes and especially not black...maybe a salt and pepper type color."  No.  All people are sinful.  The end.  The thing is, when I compare myself to other people it is completely pointless.  Compared to some people I am going to be a saint, but compared to others I am going to be a devil.  Comparing myself to God is the only thing that matters, and that comparison is laughable.  It's like comparing a marble to the sun.

The funny part of that is, though, that God still loves me!  He wants me as a part of His kingdom - what?!!  That doesn't even make any sense!  If you recall from my "Talents" entry in March, I really don't have that much to offer.  My sinful nature has rendered me completely useless to God, and yet He wants to cover that with His only son's blood so that I can be with Him?!  Excuse me?  I don't have any kids, but if someone asked me to sacrifice my pet rat Cindy in order to save some mediocre little bug who mostly just ignored me all of the time, I would say no way in a million years.  Yet God sent his SON to die for ME?!?!!?  This is craziness!  I can hardly believe it!  I mean, yes I have heard this since I was two years old, but every time I really realize this it still amazes me.  WOW.  God is so cool.  

Happy Easter, everyone!

My Haiku - "Snow in April"

This is craziness
There should be green and colors
But there's only white

I don't mean to be the girl who cried harrassment....

I don't mean to complain unnecessarily...but there's this guy at work who is seriously creeping me out. There is definitely a line between being complimentary and being just plain weird, and somewhere I think he has definitely crossed the line. First of all, every time I come in to work he greets me with something like, "Hello, Beautiful," or "Good morning, Gorgeous." I think he says this to all girls, but it's still just kinda weird. Next, he always comes up with something to say about my appearance. Here are a few of the most recent (in order of ascending creepiness):

"Your teeth are beautiful. You have a beautiful smile."
"Your eyes are your best feature - lift up your hat so I can see them better?"
"Your eyes are so beautiful, they almost look like Persian eyes." *weird look from me* "I said PERSIAN, not virgin. Don't think I said virgin. I don't think you have virgin eyes. Unless you want to, because I guess some girls like to be seen that way..."
"You're so skinny." *touches my stomach*
"I like those pockets on your jeans." *puts face and hands very uncomfortably close to my butt* "They're really hot."

After saying some weird comment, I attempt to engage in normal conversation (this never works). Here are snippets of a few of our recent conversations:

Him: Do you like toddlers?
Me: Yes
Him: Aww...even when they run around naked?
Me: Sure
Him: Well, you'll be a good mom.
Me: Thanks.
Him: When I was a baby, I ran around in my diaper and suspenders. I was probably really cute, wasn't I?
Me: Probably.
Him: I'll be a good dad, because I'll hold my toddlers. I like them, except when they're little s***s.
Me: Okay, cool.



Me: Do you wanna put this dish over there?
Him: Do you have a boyfriend?
Me: Yes, I do.
Him: What's his name?
Me: Rex
Him: Where's he from?
Me: Kalamazoo
Him: Is he nice to you?
Me: Yes, he's very nice.
Him: Is he black or white?
Me: White
Him: Oh. I wish I was your boyfriend.
Me: Um...
Him: You're just the kind of girl I'm looking for.
Me. Thanks...

And one time I licked my lips because they were chapped and he was all, "Oh, do that again..." Um...WEIRD. And sometimes he asks me really awkward questions like, "You're so strong - are you superhuman?" or "Do you think I'm delicious?" I almost replied to this one with "No idea - I've never tasted you," but then realized that this leads to too many other questions, such as "Well do you want to?" So yeah, it's just weird. And I mean, it's flattering to some extent, but it's mostly just creepy. To his credit I'm pretty sure something is a little mentally off there...but that excuse can only go too far. Generally the way my shift goes is that I work where I'm supposed to until he creeps me out too much, and then I go hide in some other area until his shift is over.

Is it any wonder that I want to quit?

And now I know why it's called March MADNESS

YAY for MSU being in the Final Four - I am proud to be a Spartan.  I am so proud of being a Spartan that I figured it might be worth the money to go support them in Detroit this weekend.

I was wrong.

In order for me to go support my team, I need to have the income of someone who's been out of college for a long time - not the income of some broke college student.  There are tickets selling anywhere from $300 to $5,000 - tickets to a SINGLE basketball game!  Who spends $5,000 on two-ish hours of their life??  That's a down payment on a house!  A semester's tuition!  A trip around the world!  And they're going to spend it on a BASKETBALL game?? You could feed an entire third world country dinner for that amount!  Our society really is full of madness at this time of year.  People's brains get replaced with basketballs and all they know is "Must....watch....game....!!!!"  My season tickets for football were $146, and I was concerned about spending that much money on sports.  But twice that for a single game?  No thank you.  It's not as if people who don't go to the game don't get to see the outcome.  I can trot right down to my local sports bar and watch the whole thing on a big screen.  I will be able to see the sweat on the player's heads, unlike people at the game who are watching tiny dots run around on a far away court.  At the end of the game, my pockets will still be full, and likely my tummy will be full too with reasonably priced chicken wings - YUM.  I bet at Ford Field a cup of soda is $10 - don't even THINK about buying any food.  Yeah...BW3 is looking like a good option.

So to our basketball boys:  I love you, but not that much.  Good job so far and good luck this weekend, but I will be cheering for you back in East Lansing unless I win the lottery between now and Saturday.

Talents

So I've been thinking - isn't everyone supposed to be good at something?  What is my talent?  I look at my friends: 

1. Carly - Carly is an amazing writer.  She'll publish some quality stuff some day, or the world is just messed up.  Her e-mails make me laugh more than anyone else's.  Even if she's just saying "hi" in one line, somehow she makes it entertaining.

2. Codi - Codi's a genius.  She actually LIKES organic chemistry.  I feel that this in itself is a talent.  Anyone who likes orgo is something special.  Codi's going to solve global warming some day, I just know it. I would vote for her for president even though she's a democrat.

3. Beth - Beth is out to win the world over for Christ.  She's been just about everywhere doing it, and she's good at it, too.  She's been to what, 3 or 4 continents in the past few years?  And she's such a light for Christ - that's awesome.  She leaves for Italy in two months.  YAY for her.

4. Rex - Rex is good at making friends.  Example: We both work in the cafeteria, and he knows EVERYONE, and I know no one.  Today he came to the section I work in, goes up to the guy I am working with, and is like, "Good luck on your exam today, man."  I had no idea this guy had an exam today.  I don't even know his name!  He (Rex) is also friends with the janitor who cleans his floor - he's this old divorced hippie guy, and Rex is all, "Eric's so cool - we're gonna work out together."  WHAT?  Oh, and I swear it seems like he knows every girl on campus.  Every time we go out some girl comes up and is like, "Oh my gosh REX! It is so good to SEE you!" (in that annoying girly high-pitched tone).  So anyway, Rex is friends with everyone he comes in contact with.  That is an awesome talent.

5. Josh - Josh knows everything about computers.  If there's ever a computer problem I have ever had, Josh is like, "Oh, well clearly *lotsofcomputertermsIdon'tunderstand*, and you need to *lotsofcomputertermsIdon'tunderstand,* and then he fixes it for me.  Presto!  Oh, and he built his own computer, which is fully functional and he uses it on a daily basis.  This is very cool.

6. Betsy - Betsy is good at photography.  I'm not even sure if she knows this since she's not really doing anything with it professionally (I don't think), but she totally has an eye for it.  I look at some of the pictures she's taken and I'm like, "Whoa...how did she do that?" (Example for those of you who know her: the profile pic with the white background and the half a face thing? AWESOME). She's good at art in general, and writing too, but she's so smart in other areas I think she just can't decide which she likes best.  I personally really like her photos, though.

6. My dad - I don't know if this counts as a friend since he's my dad, but I'm counting him.  My dad is good at getting weird jobs.  We are in this awful economy, yet my dad's options are overflowing and he is turning jobs down.  He does the weirdest things, too.  My dad has been (in no particular order): A model, a salesman, a superhero (I'm not kidding), a roofer, a businessman, a TV actor, a TV cameraman, a computer consultant, a coach, and a teacher.  WHAT? Who DOES all of this stuff?  I applied for about 35 jobs before I found one on campus.  My dad can't decide which jobs sound like the most fun for him to pick.  Umm...okay.

So anyway, the list of friends with talents goes on and on, but it brings the question: what am I good at?  The only thing I know of that I am especially good at is training my pet rat. (Right now she's learning to jump through a hoop, and she's doing really well!).  There are two problems with this talent.  #1 - It will never be useful in life. Ever.  #2 - No one but me thinks this is cool.  Well, maybe Cindy thinks it's cool because she gets to hang out with me and eat treats when she does her tricks right, but I don't think she quite counts.  So what am I doing with my life?  I feel like everyone has a talent that they can use for God's glory, but it seems that I don't have anything to offer.  I mean, if God has a use for a rat trainer in His kingdom, sign me up.  I just don't feel that He needs one, though.  I'm twenty years old; it's too late in life for any natural talents to magically spring up.  I'm never going to win the olympics.  I'm never going to be Yo-yo Ma.  I'm not going to be the next J.K. Rowling or even the next Meg Cabot.  So what am I useful for?  This isn't meant to be all emo, but honestly introspective.  If God put me here, then I must be good for something.

So what is it?

To Do

I put "write in my blog" on my to-do list, so I am writing in it pretty much so I can cross it off of my list.  As I write this, I am watching MSU play some basketball...69-50 with 6:39 left in the second half...so this is good.  They're pretty good at basketball so I've heard.  I went to a scrimmage this season but have never been to a game due to the INSANE hard core-ness that is required to be a part of the Izzone.  To do this, a prospective student must attend an all night party in the field by Case Hall which is held in September.  If they leave early, they lose their rights to buy tickets.  If they make it through the "camp out," they then have to attend EVERY game, and they can get kicked out of the Izzone if they miss one.  There have been people in classes trying to give away their tickets because they have so many exams the next day or something and don't want to go to the game but also don't want to get kicked out of the Izzone.  It's INTENSE.  Okay...enough with the capslock, me.  I just have never been to a game.  I hope to go someday, though.  Maybe an Izzone member will have tickets available on a day I can go.  That would be fun.  I've heard it's crazy.

Okay, as much as I love blogging...I think I would like to sign off now and watch MSU win this game on the road to the finals.  Adios, all.

Blog?

Okay, so I am attempting to create and maintain a blog. I started to think about it, though, and what is a blog anyway? First of all, the word is weird. BLOG. It sounds like some monster out of a Mother Goose rhyme that would eat children if they didn't go to bed on time or something. It is just a really odd name.

Second, what is the purpose of a blog? To keep track of what happens in one's life? A diary of sorts? I thought the whole idea of a diary is that it is supposed to be a SECRET, though, so wouldn't that make a blog sort of the anti-diary? I created a blog once under the name Natalie Cordova. I called it "Confessions," and it was a sort of diary because it was a place that I could spill my darkest secrets and no one would know it was me. I have since deleted that blog, so don't bother to look for it. I know some of you still will anyway, but it's not there. Promise. It was just a little too weird for me - my secret other life blog. Odd.
To keep a blog under my real name, though? That other people can read? What is the point of this? Still, if I thought that blogs in the mainstream sense were completely pointless, I suppose I wouldn't be writing one. This is odd...I will have to think on it.

In considering a title for my *ahem* BLOG (still hate this word), I chose the one I did based off of a diary entry of the same name that I wrote last year. It was an entry where I lamented the fact that my friends kept telling me it was pretty much sacrilege to go to MSU and not party. "Sober Spartan" is pretty much an oxymoron, they would say. I spent a long time trying to figure out the whole "in the world but not of the world" idea on this campus, and I feel that I have accomplished it to an extent now that I sort of like the idea of being a "sober spartan." I'm still a part of the school, but I can be different at the same time. Not being a goody-two-shoes, but also not being a barf-on-my-shoes either. Life seems to be finding a general balance of where one fits in and where one stands out, you know?

So anyway, there's the history on the name of this blog. As for what the blog contents will be, I don't know. What does one put in a blog? How much of this is supposed to be my true emotions and struggles, and how much of it is a facebook status-esque proclamation to a list of friends about what I am doing? I don't know. I guess I'll have to try and find a balance - story of my life.