Highlights of 2010

I feel like this year has flown by so quickly. Only this time last year I was graduating from HBU and felt like there were so many choices and possibilities out in front of me.

Here are some of the highlights from 2010:

-Aaron and I moved into our own apartment together
-I got a job at the Blinn Writing Center
-I got a second job at Virtualbookworm.com Publishing
-We adopted both of our dogs, Rasta and Bentley
-I started applying to graduate school
-I started reading for pleasure again (and am still trying to catch up!)
-I also started trying to be creative again and began crocheting and sewing
-I learned how to stand up for myself when it really matters
-I found a psychiatrist who seems to really know what she's doing
-I got to see some of my HBU buds at Laura's wedding after not having seen them since graduation
-I turned 23

There still seems like there's so much left to accomplish...and sometimes I wonder if I'm where I'm supposed to be in life. I feel myself questioning whether I've made good decisions or not but I think that in the new year, everything will be crystal clear when I start finding out about graduate school.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Homemade Frosty Paws

Rasta LOVES Frosty Paws--if you own a dog, you know that Frosty Paws is ice cream for dogs.  However, Frosty Paws can be expensive, so I was excited when I found a recipe for homemade Frosty Paws on one of my favorite blogs, MyPetSavings.com.  Here it is:

Homemade Frosty Paws
Ingredients:
::1 cup peanut butter (I suggest all-natural so there is no added junk)
::32 oz Vanilla Yogurt (I suggest organic yogurt, again,so there is no added junk such as artificial sweeteners)
::2 ripe bananas
Directions:
::Blend all ingredients together. Separate into 3 oz paper cups (Dixie cups for example). Place in freezer, once frozen put into ziplock freezer bag. Yields 16 servings.

And voila--a yummy summertime treat for your pups!

Another Book Review - A Thousand Splendid Suns

So, after finishing The Kite Runner, I really needed to read Khaled Hosseini's newest book, A Thousand Splendid Suns.  And let me tell you, Hosseini's second book did not disappoint.

I read A Thousand Splendid Suns in two sittings (probably could have finished it in one, if I would have had the time!)  When I had to put the book down to go to work, it really irritated me, because I needed to find out what happened to the two female protagonists.

This time around, Hosseini focuses on the plight of Afghanistan women.  He shares the ordeals that Afghani women had to go through under the Taliban.  Women who had once been doctors, students, free-loving spirits, were forced to degrade themselves and submit to even the most vile men around them.  The book made me incredibly sad and fiercely angry for these women, even though they were fictional--I've read enough about how women were treated under the Taliban to know that what these women went through in the book was what women really did go through in real-life.

Anyway, if you have not read either The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns, I recommend you run--don't walk!--to your nearest Half-Price Books (or order off of Amazon) and grab these two novels.  You will NOT be disappointed!

Craft Attempt numero...oh hell I've lost count

So I disassembled the previous craft attempt and went in a completely different direction.  I found an old frame at my mom's house and that sparked this idea:

I painted the mat inside gold, then used antiquing paint to dull down the brightness of the gold.  Then I laid the fabric out in the pattern I wanted, taped them to the mat, and inserted into the frame.  And voila!  Instant wall art.  I'm really happy with the way it came out this time.

This is my favorite piece of fabric:

Last week we also welcomed a new addition into our home.  Meet Bentley:

Bentley is a 2 month old miniature dachshund.  We love him already.  However, Rasta is having a little bit of trouble adjusting to being a big brother, but I'm sure he'll get the hang of it :)

Book Reviews - August

1) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
So, I know this is not a particularly new book; in fact, it's already been made into a movie.  I just never read it, for some reason, until a few weeks ago.  Maybe because I knew it would be a tear-jerker, and I have a history of letting books really get to me.  Exhibit A: Bridge to Terabithia.  I was in the 4th grade, I believe, when I read Bridge to Terabithia and when I finished it, I sobbed for well over an hour.  This is the first book I really remember affecting me in that way.

Anyway, I digress.  The Kite Runner was definitely as sad as I expected it to be and more.  It was a difficult read, but an excellent one, at that.  I'm glad that the author (Khaled Hosseini) didn't try to sugarcoat the very real nightmare that is still going on in Afghanistan.  To portray how the children are suffering made it even harder to read, but, I think it's important that he came out with it.  Do we really know what the people of Afghanistan are going through?  In the US, everything is given to us with a spoonful of sugar to wash it all down.  The truth is not nearly as sweet.  If you haven't read The Kite Runner, I strongly suggest that you pick up a copy as soon as possible.

2) The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard
I saw this book at Barnes and Noble almost six months ago (or maybe more) and wanted to read it but ended up buying a different book instead.  Then, the other day, while browsing at Half Price Books, I found it: a single copy on a bottom shelf.  How on earth I spotted it is still beyond me!

Now, if you love mysteries, then this book is definitely for you.  The fact that I finished the book in a single sitting resonates for how suspenseful the book really is.  However, it also kind of tells you that it's not exactly a difficult read.  Nancy Pickard definitely spins a good story, however, the writing itself got a bit dry in certain places, perhaps a bit hokey in others.  The novel in all reminded me of Twilight--spellbinding story, mediocre writing.  As far as mysteries go, however, it's one of the better ones I've read in awhile.

3) The Help by Kathryn Stockett
This was a reading assignment for the summer tutors at the Blinn Writing Center.  And let me tell ya, I can't think of a better assignment than to read a good book!  This particular novel did not disappoint.  In fact, even though the W.C. provided us with copies, we couldn't take them home; so, I went out and bought my own so I could finish it!

The Help is another one of those difficult reads.  It's about how black women were treated in the 60s as maids in white homes.  The truth of the situation was hard for me to read--particularly as a Southern woman.  There is a lot of pride in being "Southern"--if you are, indeed, Southern, then you know what I'm talking about.  However, this book made me quite ashamed of our history, because our history is in fact one of bigotry and hatred.  I think, though, that this is another book that is important to read to be able to gain the truth of what really happened in that time.

Freebies, oh Freebies, Wherefore Art Thou...?

So I'm here to get on my soap box about signing up for freebies online.  Usually, freebies are little samples--nothing big.  But sometimes you can really luck out and find full-sized or high-cost freebies, which are what I aim for.  I use these as "fillers"--that is, if we run out of toothpaste, shampoo, etc., there is always something in the cupboard to use as backup.

For example, in the past week, I've gotten the following in the mail:

1-1 serving box of All-Bran Cereal
1-1 serving package of All-Bran flakes
3 Kotex Tampons
1-2 serving box of Da Vinci Stuffed Tortellini

So, for example, if I run out of cereal or tampons I'm set :) And the tortellini looks awfully yummy and I can't wait to cook it!

I've also received full-sized samples of dog food and dog treats, which have come in real handy when we've been running low on dog food.  Other freebies I've received include Crest Whitestrips, Starbucks Via Instant Coffee, and a full-sized Gillette men's razor. 

If you decide to start signing up for freebies, however, keep in mind that these full-sized offers are few and far between.  And, you most likely will never receive all of the freebies you sign up for.  But, it's always nice to go to the mailbox and find something in there besides bills :)

Also, I learned the hard way that it's a good idea to make a separate email address to use when signing up for freebies, or else your main inbox will be filled with spam!

Craft Attempt Numero Dos

So I'm still on a quest to become the ultimate crafty diva.  Move over, Martha Stewart! Or at least go back to jail :)

(I'm totally kidding.  You know all of us craft-ers love us some Martha Stewart!)

So, here is my 2nd attempt at being crafty:

Now, I know you're a bit confused, so let me tell you what this was *supposed* to be...it was *supposed* to be a beautiful work of wall art to hang above my bed.  The back is a bulletin board covered in beige fabric; the middle is a piece of cardboard covered in dark blue fabric; and then the top is of course scrap fabric of different designs/colors.  I thought it was an awesome concept at first, but I'm not sure where to go from here.  It looks so unfinished....hmmm...I may have to go in another direction...

I also really love to scrapbook.  I know it's kind of lame but I enjoy it!  Here are a few examples of my scrapbooking:

Part 1 of my HBU graduation

Part 2 of my HBU graduation

This one I did while in the midst of a breakup.  It was supposed to illustrate my new independence (thus the Dorothy Parker quote that reads, "Four be the things I'd have been better without: Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.")  Kind of hokey, but I still think it looks cool :)

Anyway, that's what I've been up to lately--crafting away!

Free Neti Pot

So as we all know, I'm very much into free stuff.  I often frequent coupon and freebie sites and let me tell you, there are a lot of crappy freebies out there.  However, every once in awhile I come across full-sized freebies that really excite me :)

Right now you can get a free Neti Pot with 2 cleansing packets if you "Like" NeilMed on Facebook and fill out a brief survey.  Go here for more info: http://itsallfreeonline.com/free-neilmed-neti-pot/

I've really been wanting to try Neti Pots for awhile now but never wanted to spend the money so this freebie is pretty cool...I mean, to ME anyway...

Homemade Chicken Parmesan

I made homemade chicken parmesan this week and it was amazingly simple, utterly delicious, and CHEAP since we had all of the ingredients already on hand! (Must give credit to my fellow WC employee Nicole J. for sharing it with me!)

*4 chicken breasts
*Can or jar of spaghetti sauce
*Breadcrumbs
*1 or 2 Eggs
*Mozzarella or parmesan cheese
*Olive or Vegetable Oil

Pound or flatten the breasts until thin.  Dip in beaten egg, then breadcrumbs (I made my own breadcrumbs by toasting a couple of pieces of bread in the oven and then grinding them up with garlic power and Italian seasoning), then transfer to a hot frying pan that is coated in oil.  Brown both sides of chicken.  Pour the entire jar of spaghetti sauce over the chicken and bring to a simmer.  Cover pan (I used aluminum foil b/c my pan is missing its lid :) ... I simmered it for about 15 minutes.  Check the chicken to see if it's cooked through.  Add grated or sliced mozzarella or parmesan cheese and cover for another 2-3 minutes (just long enough for the cheese to melt.)  And then you're done!

I also boiled some spaghetti to use some of the extra sauce.  So we had chicken parmesan and spaghetti for dinner--lots of carbs but it was amazing!

Craft Attempt Numero Uno...

Lately, I have been having the desire to start being crafty again. As most of you know, I tend to crochet during the winter (I mean, what else am I going to do?) and I have scrapbooked in the past. However, because of the large amount of white wall space we have at our new place, I have recently started wanting to make some artwork for my house.

I'm not sure if I like my first attempt. I found some cheap clearance frames at Hobby Lobby ($1.40 a piece) and bought some white and green paint as well as some ribbon. Then I got out my scrapbooking stuff and made some "artwork" for the frame:

Above: Before & After

Above: The finished product

The green/blue theme goes with my bathroom ensemble...still not sure if I really like the outcome, however. Sort of looks too "homemade."

But...I think I'm going to keep going with this "crafty" thing...it's fun, even if it doesn't always turn out the way I want it to!

Annoying Grammar Mistakes: The Grammar Geek Has Fallen...

Ok, so maybe I haven't fallen, per se, but I learned something yesterday that I didn't know and am ashamed to admit that I have been making this mistake for...well, ever.

Do you know the difference between "alright" and "all right"?

Well, according to Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Grammar Tips, "alright" is not a word. Never has been. Ugh. I cringe at the thought of all of the mistakes I've undoubtedly made over the years.

However, although "alright" is not technically a word and should probably not be used in formal papers/essays, etc., it is apparently becoming more accepted because I'm apparently not the only one making that mistake. So, "alright" all you want in informal writing, just be sure to correct it in more formal works.

"To Neuter or Not to Neuter"; or, "Rasta's Empty Coin Purse"

Over the long holiday weekend, Aaron and I finally did right by our pup and had Rasta neutered.

I really feel that we did the right thing. Male dogs that are neutered get rid of any chance of having testicular cancer, as well as other male-related diseases I can't remember the names of right now. Neutering also gets rid of their desire to wander in search of a mate--meaning, he is much less likely to run away. It also reduces his testosterone levels, making him less hyper and excitable (hopefully making life a bit easier not only for US, but for him. Who wants to be hyper ALL of the time?)

Even so, after his 2-hour recovery period, as the nurse walked Rasta out to the waiting room, I burst into tears; he instantaneously peed on the floor (I'm assuming his version of bursting into tears). He looked so out of it; drunk, almost. He couldn't walk in a straight line and he could barely hold his head up. After Aaron laid his feeble 62-lb. body in the back seat, he whimpered, obviously in pain. The whole way home I questioned my decision to put Rasta through this.

However, the next day, my beloved pooch was already back to normal. Although we were under strict instructions to keep Rasta from running or jumping, he was (of course) defying us and running up and down the stairs (to Aaron's and my absolute horror!). He was already attempting to disembowel the stuffed cow and monkey we had bought him as "sorry we got your balls chopped off" presents and completely annihilated a flavored raw-hide. So, as much as I had regretted my decision the day before, I felt that the surgery really hadn't been all THAT bad--in fact, I'm now counting down the days until his testosterone levels drop to a more reasonable amount.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that having my dog undergo surgery was quite a horrific ordeal, and it got me to thinking about how I would handle it if my own human-child got sick, or had to be hospitalized, or had to have surgery. It scares me to think about, and reminds me that I am nowhere near ready to have a child--at least, not until I am mature enough to be able to handle disasters without having a mental breakdown. I know that my children will need me to be mentally strong enough to be their strength when they are weak; and right now, I am much too selfish and immature to be able to be that person.

Annoying Grammar Mistakes 3: Apostrophes are for Lovers

Today I want to talk about the use of an apostrophe. Apostrophes are tricky little suckers; sometimes they indicate that a word is possesive (i.e., Larry's truck), and sometimes they indicate that the word is a contraction (i.e., "don't" for "do not.")

However, an apostrophe never (never, never, never!) indicates that a word is plural. For example, if you sign your Christmas cards, "Love, the Smith's," you have written an incomplete sentence, because that one little apostrophe is saying that the Smiths are possessive of something and you have not specified what that something is (Love, the Smith's cat? Love, the Smith's chimney sweep?)

To make "Smith" plural (as in, more than one Smith) you would just add an 'S': Love, the Smiths.

The misuse of apostrophes in advertisements and billboards tend to drive grammarians insane: Lots of Movie's to Choose From! All You Can Eat Rib's! I would love to go around to all of the grammatically incorrect signs of the world and correct them, but alas, I would probably be arrested...and thrown into an insane asylum.

Going Pantry Divin': The Quest to Conquer Our Restaurant Addiction

This week, I have been trying to conduct an experiment: eat only the food we have in the house. This includes no going out to eat, and no running to the grocery store to pick up items for dinner. I have to admit that this has been an unusually difficult task. First of all, I LOVE GOING OUT TO EAT. I just do. I don't know what it is about dining out; the atmosphere, being able to choose from lots of different options, being waiting on; all of these things contribute to my love of restaurants. Besides, when I don't have to cook, the food somehow just tastes so much better :)

Aaron loves dining out, as well, and he loves food just as much as I do (if not more!). So, one of us has to be strong at all times to be able to conquer our restaurant addiction. However, in the past, we have both given in to temptation and ended the night with Chicken Express, Chick-fil-a, Sonic, a Chinese buffet, or (if we were feeling a little crazy) even splurging on Cheddars or Chili's.

I also just love to go grocery shopping. Well, I love shopping in general, but I feel that grocery shopping in particular is a necessity, so I generally don't feel bad about doing it. But too many trips during the week leads to major money spending, so I've tried to make do with what we have in the pantry and freezer already.

Breakfast and lunch have been easy enough; I always have either cereal or oatmeal, anyway, for breakfast and don't tend to deviate from those two options. And, instead of running to Subway or Blue Baker for lunch, I just made sammies for Aaron and I at home. Dinner has been a different story.

Sometimes I like cooking; sometimes I just plain don't feel like it. All of the leftover food from camping at the Frio this last weekend made it easy to survive off of hot dogs and hamburgers all weekend and leading into Monday. However, as the camp-food supplies dwindled, I tried to make myself cook several things to last through the week. I made a batch of whole-wheat pumpkin muffins for snacks Monday night and made turkey meatloaf Tuesday night, which made for pretty good meatloaf sandwiches for dinner last night.

I did splurge on Starbucks last night after Aaron and I both had pretty long, tough days. But I feel that if we cut out ALL indulgences, then life would become pretty ho-hum. (Yup, I just said ho-hum.) Am I just trying to find an excuse? Possibly. But, seriously, we've done pretty good so far, so I don't feel too bad about a Starbucks run.

In the past, I've tried this, and even though the experiment usually always ended in failure, I have become better at improvising in the kitchen. I've made my own spaghetti sauce, made a sort of chicken-tomato-pasta dish that came out pretty damn good, made my own alfredo sauce, and pounded up a package of Ritz crackers for bread crumbs. I mean, I'm not the MacGyver of cooking or anything, but I've become pretty good at finding substitutions for ingredients I don't have.

But anyway, the reason I'm writing this is because I'm having a restaurant craving and I'm trying to remind myself why I shouldn't give in, lol. Hopefully, if the devil on my shoulder finally convinces me to suggest to Aaron that we should eat out tonight, he will have the strength to tell me no. If not...well, I guess we'll be having Panda Express for dinner :)

Top 10 Peeves Dogs Have With Humans

This was featured in the "Dog Crazy" newsletter I receive from petplace.com. It was so cute I had to share!


Top 10 Peeves Dogs Have With Humans

1. Blaming your farts on me..... not funny... not funny at all!!!

2. Yelling at me for barking. I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG.

3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?

4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose. Stop it!

5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.

6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whoooo oooooooo what a proud moment for the top of the food chain!

7. Taking me to the vet for "the big snip," then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!

8. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.

9. Dog sweaters. Hello??? Haven't you noticed the fur?

10. How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth. You're just jealous.

Annoying Grammar Mistakes 2

Welcome to another edition of "Annoying Grammar Mistakes."

I'd like to start off by saying that I am fully aware that many grammar rules are pointless and, especially for non-native speakers, sometimes utterly stupid. When an ESL student comes into the Writing Center for tutoring and asks why a certain grammar rule is the way it is, the most common answer I give is, "that's just the way it is." I would really hate to have to learn English as a second language because, honestly, there are some really difficult things to learn.

For example, there are words that sound similar but have very different meanings:

1. Accept vs. Except

Dictionary.com defintions: Accept means "to take or receive" or "to agree or consent to." Except means "with the exclusion of" or "otherwise than."
*I accept your challenge. I accept your payment.
*Your paper is good except for the conclusion. I would like to go to England except I don't have enough money.


2. Expense vs. Expanse

Dictionary.com definitions: Expense is "a cost or charge." Expanse is "an uninterrupted space or area; a wide extent of anything."
*My monthly expenses are quite a burden. The expense of the hotel was too much for my budget.
*We crossed the great expanse of land to reach our destination.
*The explorers crossed the vast expanse of the ocean to reach America.

3. Affect vs. Effect

Affect usually is used as a verb and means "to influence" or "to change." Effect
is usually used as a noun and means "a result." (Taken from Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.)
*The rain affected my driving. The rain affected my plans to go to the river.
*The rain had no effect on my driving. The rain had no effect on my plans to go
to the river.

Then, there are words that are spelled completely different from how they sound.
Shouldn't "enough" be "enuf" or "through" be "thru"? I've actually put a lot of thought into this (sadly enough! or...enuf :). Shouldn't words be spelled the way they sound? And why so many different forms of (essentially) the same word? Such as:

*To, Too, Two
-To can have many meanings, but it commonly means "toward a point, person, place, or thing, implied or understood." I.e., "We went to the store."
-Too means "also." I.e., "Ross wanted to go to the store, too."
-Two is a number

*Your, You're
-Your is the possesive form of "you" ("We're going to your house.")
-You're means "you are."

*There, Their, They're
-There is a place ("We're there, now," "We went there," "He stopped there in the book.")
-Their is a possesive form of "they"; usually used as an adjective ("Their house," "We're going to their campsite.")
-They're means "they are"

*Capital, Capitol
-Capital refers to a city ("Austin is the capital of Texas" or "the barbeque capital of the world"), an uppercase letter, or wealth.
-A capitol is a building.

*Complement, Compliment
-Things that go together complement each other ("This sauce complements the steak.")
-A compliment is praise ("Lucy complimented Sarah's dress.")

In conclusion, it's really hard to learn the English language because of all of our silly rules. We have to remember how difficult it is to learn English and be more patient with non-native speakers...even for us grammar gurus who wince at any and all grammatical errors.

Last tidbit: Grammatical error on the front of A&M's Writing Center Newsletter: "The C's have arrived!"

Can you catch the error??? :D

"Money, it's a gas..."

Today I want to talk about money. Money, Money, Money, Money, Money. You see, before I graduated from college and was still living in the land of being-a-student-supported-by-parents, I had no worries. No worries at all--the bills would always be paid on time with no chance of the lights ever being shut off.

Oh, how times have changed! For the last few weeks I have been pondering different ways to save money. This pondering led me to the internet, where I found other poor people like myself trying to save money. Some websites I enjoy include:

dealseekingmom.com
moneysavingmom.com
krazycouponlady.com
ilovefreethings.com
mypetsavings.com

I still don't understand the concept of "coupon stacking" or how to go about doing it (I think it has something to do with having multiple coupons for the same item, but I'm really not sure), but I have become obsessed with ordering free samples!

I've also become obsessed with coupons. I refuse to do anything without a damn coupon, including getting an oil change, getting my hair cut, etc. I've come to the point where I hate paying full price on anything! I also really love free things. If you offer me something for free, I will most definitely take it! I've received a newspaper subscription, dog food, a spa facial, and a dog "pawdicure" for free thus far by collecting coupons and in some cases, just being in the right place at the right time.

Another website I recently found is swagbucks.com. At SwagBucks, you earn (you guessed it!) swag bucks (basically online money) to use in their online store for actual stuff. It's a really cool concept but I am far from having enough swag bucks to actually buy anything.

I've also been trying to figure out different ways to make money without having to get another actual job. I've been wanting to do some freelance writing work, but am not sure how to get started. I signed up with a website, elance.com, which is a website for freelance work...but I'm still not sure how to actually go about GETTING the work.

Something else I'd like to get back into is selling stuff on eBay. I did that for a bit when I still lived in Houston and was able to make quite a bit of extra pocket cash. But...I don't know what to sell now! At the time, I had a few high-priced items to sell and they did fairly well, but now I don't really own anything that I think would make too much money. I have an autographed Nolan Ryan baseball, but I lost the certificate of authenticity a long time ago, and I've heard that it's hard to sell an autographed item without that certificate.

Anyway, those are the things that have been going through my head the last few days. If you're reading this, how do you go about saving money or making extra money?

Annoying Grammar Mistakes

I decided that I wanted to take this blog in a different direction. I would like to start using it as an outlet for what I love best - writing.

So, I'm starting a new segment, entitled "Annoying Grammar Mistakes." No, I am not claiming to know EVERYTHING about grammar...but there are just a few mistakes that really grind my gears :)

#1) The use of the word "I's"

Example: "We are going to Arnold and I's house," or, "This is Lance and I's spatula."

This is a very common mistake, because it sounds proper. However, "I's" is not really a word. You would not say, "We are going to I's house." You would say, "We are going to MY house."

Therefore...the proper way to fix the examples above would be something like, "We are going to Arnold's and my house." Kind of wordy, but it's grammatically correct.

I love my dog.

"He's just a dog."

I cannot stand it when people tell me this. That my precious puppy is "just a dog." No, he is NOT "just a dog"; he is MY dog, and I will take care of him to the best of my ability.

It is not fair to assume that b/c Rasta is a dog, he can be treated badly. I won't leave him tethered in the yard; I won't keep him cooped up in his kennel for more than 5 hours at a time; I won't feed him crap food; I won't physically or emotional abuse him when he's "being bad," because I remember that he is still a puppy and still full of endless energy.

Yes, I will buy him toys; I will take him to the vet when he needs it rather than spend money on myself; I will leave the fan on for him instead of turning it off to save electricity. I will bathe him, cut his fingernails, brush his teeth, buy him "dentasticks," and love on him all I want because he is MY DOG to take care of how I WANT.

I did not get a dog to play with for awhile and then abandon. With me, he has a forever home.

I have always had a passion for animals. As a kid, I was always appalled at how anyone could experience "the thrill of the kill" in hunting. I remember being made fun of for being so sensitive towards animals.

I understand that meat is a huge part of our diets. I would be lying if I said that I have managed to become a vegetarian. I have tried in the past, but am ultimately a carnivore. This does not mean that I have the heart to go out and kill the animals myself. I would not be able to find joy in such a "sport." I don't understand how others can find joy in it, either.

The only way I find hunting acceptable is if the hunting is kept to a minimum (i.e., hunting regulations on how many animals can legally be killed per season) and if the animal is used completely for its meat and hide. Poaching makes me absolutely SICK.

Still, I don't understand the "fun" of hunting, or like I said earlier, "the thrill of the kill." I don't understand the satisfaction with killing another living being.

My passion for animal rights increased greatly when I adopted Rasta. I have bonded so incredibly with this animal that I cannot comprehend how anyone could ever hurt, abuse, abandon, or downright mistreat an animal. They are living, breathing creatures that feel physical and emotional pain.

I love my dog.

For Better or Worse...

I am 22 years old and feel like I've been through a lifetime of emotional turbulence. There have been so many people walking in and out of my life and treating me like trash in the process that I had accepted the notion that indeed, I must not be terribly important or worthwhile.

All of this changed when I met Aaron. Never for a moment have I felt unimportant or unloved. I am definitely the most important person in the world to him.

However, every once in awhile, I remember the turbulence of the past, and my self-esteem/self-worth starts to deteriorate. I dwell on what's been-what could have happened-what did I do wrong to make everything so horrible?

And then there's Aaron. There he is with all of his love and patience and I have to tell myself to remember that all of that bad stuff is over now, and here I am with him, and nothing else matters. Nothing else matters because we are in this crazy fight together, for better or worse, until we're looking over at each other with wrinkled faces and gray hair from our separate rocking chairs on the front porch of the home we worked so hard to build.

I have to remember that everything that happened to make me feel so horrible about myself is over now. It's behind me. It has nothing to do with who I am now. And I have a partner who will stand by me and remind me every second of every day how wonderful he truly thinks I am until I can finally feel the same way about myself.

I am so very lucky.

Animal Rights vs. Animal Wrongs

Many animal rights activists disagree with the notion of owning animals as pets. These activists argue that animals should not be "owned," but they should be allowed to live their lives as nature intended--in the wild.

As an animal lover, I disagree. I don't think that in this day and age that animals such as dogs and cats would be able to survive "in the wild" because "the wild" doesn't really exist anymore. The world (or most of it, anyway) has become very urbanized, and dogs and cats have been domesticated for too long to revert back to being "wild."

What is the solution? Well, there is already too many unwanted pets out there who can't take care of themselves on their own due to the over-domestication of dogs and cats. I think the solution is to prevent these unwanted pets by spaying and neutering as many pets as possible.

So what I'm sayin' is...spay or neuter your pet. I guess I'm sort of a hypocrite because we haven't neutered Rasta yet...BUT he is only five months old. There is a place in Brenham called "The Connie Clinic" that performs spays and neuters for $50-$60 dollars, depending on the weight of the pet. I think we're going to go there after we move over the summer...and when we have an extra $50 to spare :)

The Unknown...

I spent almost 4 1/2 years--non stop--pursuing a Bachelor's degree. I spent many sleepless nights, wrote countless papers, made thousands of flash cards--and for what? To still only be qualified for menial jobs? I feel so lost. I would love to go to graduate school but I can't even apply for a another whole year. And if I went to graduate school, what on earth would I major in?

Not getting into Texas State really put a damper on my life plans. Now I'm not sure what my life's plans are going to be. I'm not happy because I don't know what I want with my life and I feel like I have no purpose. What the hell was all of that hard work for? For a damn piece of paper? To walk across the stage and shake the President of the University's hand? What bullshit.

I wish the purpose for my life would just magically appear; just magically pop into my head so I can stop stressing out over it. I just don't know...somebody please just tell me what to do :/

Mange and Money

So, we were finally able to take Rasta to the vet yesterday and it turns out he has demodectic mange, otherwise known as "puppy mange." Fortunately, this is NOT sarcoptic mange, which is contagious to humans and other animals and is hard to treat.

"Puppy mange" occurs when a puppy's immune system is underdeveloped, which gives the demodectic mites on his skin a chance to overpopulate, causing his hair to fall out and his skin to become itchy and sensitive. Apparently, all living animals--including humans--have demodectic mites on their skin, but most animals have a strong immune system that keeps the mites from overpopulating and causing problems.

However, the vet says that in rare occurrences, it becomes nearly impossible to keep the mange under control, resulting in complete hair loss and horrible discomfort. In these cases, the dog has to be put down. I pray and hope that this will not happen to Rasta! He is my furry child!


In other news, Aaron and I move to our new apartment in about a month. I am really excited but nervous at the same time. We are really struggling financially right now, and with this move we are going to be paying even higher rent since we won't have roommates. Plus, we have to pay a crazy-high pet deposit since Rasta is not a year old yet. I really wish I could find a full-time job. I'm not even asking to be paid insane amounts of money; I would just really like to be comfortable--as in, not constantly freaking out about how we're going to pay our bills from month to month. I mean, what is a damn college degree FOR if I can't even find a job?! I guess the lesson is to go into a field that will ultimately lead to a job, not a stupid liberal arts degree that leads to, apparently, NOTHING.

Hopefully something will come up soon, because if not...well, I guess we'll figure something out...

"She has to shave her underarms...of course"

Last night I was watching TV, and a Dove commercial came on that I have seen many times before. However, for some reason, this time, it really struck me the wrong way. In the commercial, a woman is wanting to wear a sleeveless black dress to her violin recital. A caption comes on the screen that says, "she has to shave her underarms...of course."

What is wrong with this statement? For one thing, the word "has." As in, it is a complete and utter necessity for this woman to shave her underarms. Secondly, the phrase "of course." Of course she needs to shave, silly! That is the accepted social norm! She is unwomanly if she does NOT shave her underarms! She will be ridiculed, mocked, sneered at; people will dub her "the amazing hairy woman" and she will never be able to show her face in a concert hall again! It does not matter if she is, in fact, an incredibly gifted violinist. No, all that matters is that she have completely smooth pits.

It occured to me that this is the case for female legs, as well. It is socially required to remove the hair from one's legs if one is going to dare to wear a skirt, shorts, dress--anything that would expose the leg. So, over the years, women have shaved, waxed, plucked, dissolved, and lasered off their leg hair, all in the name of being socially accepted--to acheive society's view of "beauty."

This does not take into account the number of women who cannot shave any of their body parts. Many women, including (but not limited to) those of African, Jewish, and Latin descent cannot shave their legs or underarms because of the coarse nature of their hair. Does this make them any less beautiful? Should society shun them because they choose not to torture themselves by going through the extremely painful ritual of scraping the hair from their bodies, resulting in excrutiating rashes, razor burn, and razor bumps?

And what about the women who do not shave because of their religious beliefs? I am not certain, but I am pretty positive that Amish women and women of other orthodox religions do not shave their legs, pits, or pubic hair. Doing so would be an act of beautifying oneself, which is considered vain in many religions.

So why does society require this beautification ritual of its female citizens? I was curious as to the history of shaving, so I did a little online research. Apparently, as early as 3000-4000 BC, women were removing body hair with homemade depilatory creams, using such bizarre ingredients as arsenic and starch. In 400 BC in Greece, it was a common practice from women to singe body hair off with oil lamps.

According to one website, "Because women in Europe wear very large and outrageous headdresses, the bizarre beauty secret of removing all hair from the eyebrows, eyelashes, temples, and necks becomes tress chic. This is masochistically accomplished by plucking and shaving every day, but a real lady who wants to represent herself in the ideal image of contemporary female beauty, knows this is a must. Sure, this makes a woman seem practically bald and somewhat extraterrestrial looking, but it is The Look to die for!"

In 1900s in the United States, the power of advertising convinced women to begin removing their body hair. "It all began with the May, 1915 edition of Harper's Bazaar magazine that featured a model sporting the latest fashion. She wore a sleeveless evening gown that exposed, for the first time in fashion, her bare shoulders, and her armpits." Women across the country began to believe that in order to be beautiful like this model, they must also remove their underarm hair.

So, in conclusion, I suppose what really bothered me about the Dove commercial was the notion that the female violinist had to shave her underarms in order to be considered beautiful. Beauty should be made up of several aspects, not just the visually appealing aspects that society requires of us.

Will this convince me to throw away my razor and shaving cream forever? Probably not, as I was raised in the American society that "hair-free"=beauty. However, what I'm saying is, we should not have to shave to be beautiful. Women are much, much more than the hair on our bodies.

Life, as we know it...

So, Aaron and I are moving into our new apartment next month. I'm SO excited to be able to decorate and have my stuff again--most of it is still at my parents' house.

I've enjoyed working at the Writing Center the last few months. I really love being able to talk about writing and grammar and reading and all of those nerdy things I'm not-so-secretly into. Working here has made me want to try again to get into graduate school so I can teach college-level classes. There is a program at Sam Houston State University for the Master of Education in Instructional Leadership. Doing this, I would take classes on Instructional leadership as well as choosing a separate concentration--for me, this would be English. If I get in, I could start in the Fall. The only downside is the drive--Huntsville is about 45 minutes away from here, and Fiona (my little car) is getting old.

But, if I DON'T get in, I'll have to wait another year to apply for graduate school...something I'm afraid I'll never do if I don't start now.

one more time.

Once, we were on the edge together,
balancing on the brink of our sanity;
staying up all night,
drinking vodka and wine,
and laughing until our hearts ached
with the realization that tomorrow
the sun would rise and we would have to
do it all over again
at least
one
more
time.

Decisions, Decisions...

Aaron and I are in the process of deciding where to move. I did not get into grad school at Texas State...but, we still have to move somewhere by the end of May. Aaron still really wants to move to the Austin area. I do, too, but I'm just not sure I'm ready. The economy is still really shaky; we both have jobs here in College Station, and I'm really afraid to leave them without ones waiting for us in Austin. Actually, afraid is an understatement; I'm crazy-scared-out-of-my-mind. It makes my stomach hurt. It keeps me up at night.

I wouldn't mind staying here for awhile longer. I really don't mind College Station. It's not the crazy-hickville I thought it would be.

Worms and such

Everything has changed so much in the last six months. I'm in a new place with a whole new life; I'm a whole new person, in fact.

I love my new job; I love my boyfriend; I love our new puppy, Rasta. But I miss having friends. A core group of friends sitting up late together: talking, laughing, being silly and young. I don't have that anymore.

Not only do I not have that, but I feel like I don't have a close friend in the world, aside from my love. I call people to hang out and never get called in return. I know that I can be hard to be friends with...I'm emotional; I have mood swings; I get my feelings hurt easily; I get down and depressed and stay there for days on end. But, I try my best to be a good friend. Maybe my best isn't good enough.

That being said, I get into these slumps where I feel like the world hates me, and for good reason. As the song says...I guess I'll go eat worms.

Movies seen in the past 2 days:
Inglourious Basterds
Law-Abiding Citizen

Helter Skelter

Apparently I enjoy using the names of Beatles songs for titles. They make me happy :)

I've decided to start blogging again because I need some sort of outlet. After graduating in December, life has become very different. No more constant studying, paper deadlines, final exams...for now. I really, REALLY hope to get into graduate school...although I'm not really looking forward to getting back into the world of academia, I think I NEED to. School is what I'm good at. I don't really have any other talents besides writing grammatically correct papers, and that skill isn't really beneficial outside of the realm of academics.

For now, I'm enjoying life in College Station. About two months ago, Aaron and I adopted a Boxer/American Bulldog puppy who we named Rasta. The name is fitting as he seems to love reggae and all things Jamaican. At least, we assume he does :) Rasta has fulfilled that ever-present-motherhood-urge that has been nagging me for awhile now. However, he is much more of a handful than I had expected a puppy to be. He has already destroyed the first kennel we bought him, as well as my beloved CHI flat-iron and the power cord for my laptop. He has also ruined the decorative trim in the bathroom. Despite these catastrophes, I cannot believe the love I feel for this little creature. The feeling makes me excited to one day be a mother.

Books read in the last month:
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Moves I've recently seen:
Shutter Island
Zombieland