Sometimes I Doubt Your Commitment To Sparkle Motion.

So, there's now another player (hopefully!) in our little GOLD STAR CHALLENGE! Oh, and for those of you who were wondering, that is it's official name. So, good luck, Kerri. And may the best person win.

Speaking of Kerri, I got to meet her for coffee slash lunch yesterday. It was pretty wicked awesome. Reminded me of the old days when we worked at Christian Supply, except that we actually had fun yesterday. Haha. After making a Mac appointment with the guy who was clearly doing nothing, and could have probably helped us right there, I got to show off my school. It's not that impressive of a place, but seeing as how I am there ALL the time, it was nice to have someone else see where I'm going. Besides, who doesn't like to have show & tell?

Well, I had class again today, as I always do. It was fine-ish. I did get done with my CAD project early, so my friend Shay and I walked to Starbucks and drank coffee and people-watched. And I almost fell asleep in those amazingly wonderful chairs. Speaking of that, I almost fell asleep in my lecture class too. It was just too darn hard to stay awake today, what with the weather being all warm and perfect.

But, there was something that made me smile today, even though I was sitting through a terribly long lecture class. Anyways, as I was sitting there, I smelled something. I know that usually means that it's something bad, but this was actually a very pleasant smell. But the weird thing is, is that I don't even know how to describe it. It was sweet, but not like fruit or flowers, but just different. I don't even know what it was. Well, the point to this is that I had one of those sense triggers, or whatever else they call them. You know, like when you smell Christmas trees and it makes you think of the holidays? It's all about those memories that we have associated with various things. Wow, this is a much longer explanation than I originally thought. Anyways, this scent reminded me of my house in Argentina. It just smelled like something familiar and comforting, but I don't even know where it came from. And after about three minutes or so, it was gone. So, at least for those three minutes I was super happy. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I've come to realize lately that if I don't find joy in the little things, I won't be able to see it anywhere. So, yeah.

I guess that's all for now. Off to do my Bible Study homework (which is due tonight!) that I've yet to start. Talk about your procrastination. Well...

...chau.

P.S. Today's song challenge is slightly unfair, I'll admit that. I'm pretty sure that Kerri is the only one who will know this artist off the top of her head, or the movie that inspired it. Everyone else will most definitely have to look it up. I'm not even sure if it's available on iTunes. And for that, I apologize. This title is just too good not to be in the competition, though. But then again, it is only the first person who answers who gets the points. So, technically, it's still anyone's game. Oh, and in case you haven't noticed, there's still a point that is yet to be claimed. Check the leaderboard for the 411.

Good Morning, Hypocrite.

I'm not a "bad kid".  Frankly, I never have been.  I didn't do all those rebellious things that seemingly everyone else did while they were growing up.  My parents always joke and say that I got all my "rebellion" out early...around 3 years old.  That's when I started deciding what I was going to wear, how I was going to look, who I was going to be friends with, etc.  By the time I hit that "crucial age", I had already got it out of my system.  For example, I don't smoke.  I never drank before I was 21 (and even now, I've had only one.).  I don't have sex and therefore I've never gotten pregnant.  I don't do drugs, and I try my hardest not to swear.  So, why is it that I feel like a worse person for not doing all these things?  It seems that everyone I work with is so obsessed with breaking some kind of commandment that it's the norm around there.  And while it breaks my heart, it also makes me feel like I've been cut out of the loop somehow.  And while it makes me sad to not be included in their conversations, I am also thrilled that I'm not, you know?  Does this even make any sense?  I feel like I'm getting to that point where I'm just rambling aimlessly.  I guess what it boils down to is that I'm happy where I'm at and what I've done or not done.  I don't like feeling like an outsider, but if this is the reason that I'm considered one, then so be it.  I'd rather be labeled as "weird" for not doing these things than compromising what I know to be right just to fit in.  I've never been one to follow the crowd either, so it suits me.  I just wish it was something that I didn't have to deal with every day.  Then again, God has put me in this position for a reason.  I know, I know..."Laura talks about God too much"...well, here I go again.  

So, yeah.  This started out as a rant slash complain, but I'm thinking that it ended a whole lot better.  I never seem to really grasp an insight until I've gotten it all out, and forced someone else to deal with it too.  Haha.  So, thanks.  For both of you who read this, it's nice to know I have someone who'll listen.

Again...chau.

P.S.  I've recently become a huge fan of ampersands.  Just saying that makes me sound brilliant.  Anyways, it's those little "&" symbols.  I've never been able to draw them, till the other day I tried it and realized that I could and how awesome I feel when I do.  I know this sounds silly, but I'll intentionally write out lists sometimes, just so I can draw a little "&" to brighten my day.  Haha...what a nerd I am.

File This Under Great Ideas At The Time.

I'm listening to a record right now.  Yes, an actual record.  There's just something about records that evoke certain emotions you never knew you had.  I love it.  It makes me smile just a little bit inside, and as cheesy as that sounds, I need it every once and awhile.

Got home from a moderately decent work day, which for me is outstanding.  It went downhill from there, but that's another story for another day.  Basically, I'm thinking that everyone needs to finish school and move back up here so I can move out of my house and keep going to my school.  Yes, it's all about me once again.

I did have many insightful things to write tonight, but seeing as how my mind is very clouded due to anxiety, stress and Tylenol Cold, I think I'll just keep it short.  And in case the two of you who read this are wondering, the last blog's song challenge is still going.  No right answer as of yet, so it's open till someone gets it.  So, get to those search engines and type your little fingers out.  

As for this one, I'm not a huge fan of the band (or song for that matter), seeing as how screaming can sometimes be labeled as singing, but I do like the guitar solos and whatnot.  It definitely falls into my mediocre-like category.  And, I'm pretty sure what sells me the most on this is the song title.  How can "File This Under Great Ideas At The Time" not be a wonderful title?  The song should just be amazing from there on out.  But I must say, the title definitely redeems it.  And seeing as how this was going to be a deep, possibly-philosophical-but-in-reality-completely-ridiculous post, I thought it was quite appropriate with the way it turned out.

So, yeah.  Once again, I have no good closing remarks.  I should come up with a tagline, or slogan.  As a placeholder till I think of something better...

...chau.

Coffee And Cigarettes.

I'm kind of sick today. And by that I mean, I just feel kind of "blah". You know that whole achy-not-up-to-par-but-not-completely-worthless feeling? Yeah, that's where I'm at. Luckily, I got out of work today because one of the girls said that she'd cover for me. It's about time, seeing as how I've covered for her a bunch. I still had to go in to work today though, to attend a meeting and go through my mentoring program. It's not that bad though, seeing as how my mentor is one of my super good friends. Makes it much easier and a whole lot less stressful, you know? Ah, it was just nice to have time to get a little better, even if it's just for one night.

So, Rachel is the winner for the first gold star challenge! And, since I never specified how to go about finding the answer, anything is up for grabs. It's all about being able to have fun with the music, and get others to listen to it too. I started a points tally along the right hand side of the page, and who ever's in the lead will be the top name. So, enjoy. In case you missed the answer, it was "Today Has Been OK" by Emiliana Torrini. There's just something that I love about this song. Talking about how there are so many hardships that come our way, but just taking it one day at a time makes it bearable. My favorite line is near the end, where she says, "...life has been insane, but today has been okay". That's just how I feel about 90% of the time, so to hear it in song makes things so much better and reassuring. Silly, I know.

So, today's blog title slash song challenge is one of my favorite songs. Not really sure why. Maybe it's the laid-back sound, or maybe it's the lyrics. After you figure out who the artist is, listen to the voice and read the lyrics (if you have the time). Amazing.

So, good luck. And I'll be back later.

Today Has Been OK.

So, I know that I just posted, but I thought I'd try to be a little more consistent on this. (Watch, after I say this, I probably won't post for another three weeks). Anyways, I had one of those "blah" kind of days. Not really sure why, but there was nothing spectacular at school, or particularly out of the ordinary. Besides the fact that my teacher played Cher during work time, it was pretty much normal. While many of you may say, "Playing Cher during class is normal?!?!", I would answer, "This is design school, so....yes".

As I've said, it's just been "blah". I've got this thing going on that is an incredibly long story, which some of you may already know. Anyways, it's just been getting to me lately. Getting me down, I guess.

So, I've decided to start a new thing. It's sort of a challenge, but not in a huge-over-the-top kind of way. Basically, I'm going to extract my "emo-side" and see if I can name all my consecutive blog posts after song titles. And, as an extra bonus for the two of you who read this (wink*wink), if you can name the artist, I'll give you a point slash gold star! Let's face it: in the end, the only thing the winner will get is the satisfaction of being the winner. And maybe a larger music library.

So, go. Starting now, I'll keep points. Again, blog title for today: "Today Has Been OK" by _____?

That's all for today. Good luck.

Rachel...this is for you. :)

So, I've started another quarter at school, which is very different than anything I could ever expect. It's only my second week, and I've already had 4 projects due. Talk about fast moving and challenging. Anyways, it's nice to experience something different. While I cannot say that it's been the best time of my life (thus far), it's not the worst either. However, I've found the absolute best room at school. Technically, it's not at my school, but instead in the adjacent building. Semantics aside, I've found it: the closest coffee shop. It's called Hot Shots Espresso, and they serve snacks, Italian sodas, and most importantly...COFFEE. Yeah, it's an addiction and I just don't feel like kicking it quite yet. But, at least I don't have to walk all the way down the street to the Starbucks housed in the Barnes & Noble. Haha. I sound like a lazy bum...

On another note, I got to house-sit last week, for a family from church that went on a short vacation. They had two adorable dogs, that I absolutely loved. Although they were pampered more than I could believe, I was happy to do it. It's nice to be able to help people out when able to, you know?

So, I've been exceedingly busy with everything going on. Along with everyone else, I've been busy at work. Still working at Red Robin, but now I am being trained to be a trainer. Basically, I'll get to work with the incoming hosts and going through what they need to know, as well as being in charge of the host team (for the most part). It's a lot of responsibility, and it's not like I have a ton of time for it, but at the same time it's a great opportunity. Can't wait to be done with all this studying though! Can you believe I have to know what's on every single burger, just for hosting? Yeah, it's crazy...I know.

Anyways, I guess that's all for now. I wish I could say there was more going on in my life than school and work, but not so much for now. More later when actual exciting things are happening... :)