Fall Confession Four

Four

I am a Shopoholic

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I really connected with the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. Clothing speaks to me! It tell me I can make an amazing outfit and sometimes I can. And other times… 

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I remember two years ago in the Fall, finding this brown dress for sale. I had to have it (partially because it was on sale...). I wore it once during Thanksgiving 2008 and ever since then it was dubbed “My Thanksgiving Dress” I think the idea was to wear it every Thanksgiving. Due to my  up and coming trip, I’ve been going through my closets and throwing away a lot. I pulled out the dress and tried it on. It’s hideous. No other words to describe it. And yet I couldn’t just throw it away. That would be ruining my thanksgiving tradition that I skipped 2009...

I threw it away. Hideous won. But that’s how I am with all my clothes and shoes. I have way too much and yet I never have enough. That was the case until I stopped working. No money to throw around really changes one’s perspective.

What I have found interesting is “clothing” stories in the news. Like, beach towns in Italy banning women from wearing clothes they deem inappropriate. Mini skirts are ok though... So I suppose that means the bikini is in trouble. I think that would be a buzz kill if someone went to Italy for sun and beaches and wonderful tans and got arrested or fined instead. And by the way, this is all for guarding against “anti social” behavior. Hmmm, ok. But I really dislike having other people dictate what I wear. 

The definition of Anti-Social used in this situation is basically someone who doesn't conform to the norms and laws of their society. I can see how that would be a problem but what I can't understand is why the people, who dress in ways that would attract unwanted attention, don't see the potential problem. However, that being said... I haven't heard anything in the news to make me think Italy had a big problem. They must if they're making such a deal about it. 

And those are my jumbled thoughts brought to you after a 10 hour day of school from Sk, Washington.   

Such is Life

Imagine a life where time meant nothing.

This is not an apology- I truly have had no opportunity to write a post OR check out everyone’s blogs! Time spent on something besides school/eating/and sleep has become a luxury. I decided that in order to take my 5 exams (3 midterms/2finals) and regular coursework by the end of October so I could graduate, I would have to make some changes. I  quit my job and I began studying.

Have you noticed how much our lives are subconsciously defined by the clock? What time one has to be at work/what time one eats/what time one sleeps. I stopped living by the clock and began waking up at 2am and going to sleep at 5-6pm. I drink an amazing amount of coffee but I accomplish mountains of homework. I am usually able to study till 4pm with minor breaks. Current thought on my mind “Live to die another day.”  I don’t believe I’ve ever experienced so much stress. My dreams are plagued with things like World War 3.

They say “ignorance is bliss” I disagree! Why? Because one’s mind is always active. And whenever you don’t know something that you think you should know… you’ll come up with all sorts of scenarios and what ifs. The push to get my school finished is due to leaving for Europe soon. I am super psyched about that.

All of the above is why I have not been visiting your blogs lately. I know that will change as soon as I am in Europe and settled. I’m thinking of starting up a Facebook page for my travels and life in a different country. Soon!

And it’s that time of year… where the weird and wacky becomes second nature and nobody thinks twice. Or actually maybe they do… In Florida one neighborhood awoke to headless animals all over the road. Ewwww. Waking up to sunshine, nice. Waking up to fresh coffee, REALLY NICE. Waking up to headless animals, not nice. What are you doing for Halloween?

My Halloween is probably going to come and go without my notice. Such is life I suppose. Next Halloween I’m going to host an epic party.

And that’s Emily reporting to you live form Sk-Washington.

Fall Confession Three

Three

I have control freak tendencies. 

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I think I fully realized it one night when driving home from some event. I stopped the car and ordered my sister out. I told her she could just walk home. In my defense, it would only really have taken her 12 minutes. There was absolute silence and she didn’t budge. I have no memory as to why I did it except that she made me mad. And I was the driver. 

I’m also a perfectionist. I sometimes think if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. I know there’s a correlation between perfectionism and control-ism. It’s not a good thing! I’m just thankful I have the next few years to work on improving that factor. 

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I was awarded two blog awards in the last couple days!!! Thank you Jess over at It's a big deal to me, for the Versatile blogger award! Thank you Steph over at Influence, for the One Lovely Blog award! 

My next post will include the awards and the recipients. Thank you Steph and Jess; I feel honored to have received not just one blog award, but two! 

Wilders

BTW, I’m pro Wilders. In America we have(had) freedom of speech. Which  is something that many people lost their lives over. Sadly, that is becoming a thing of the past. People are going into hiding on their own dime because they say(draw) something that offends extremist groups. That’s not right. Has tolerance gone too far if people are fearing for their lives? Should we be tolerant of people who won't accept us unless we conform to what they believe? Are they being tolerant of us? Excuse me if I do not understand.  I know Wilder’s is extreme in some ways but how do you really fight extremism? If you don’t at least equal the opposing sides passion, you are bound to failure. 

And that’s Emily reporting to you live from Sk- Washington

To Stay Away or Not to Stay Away?

      Europe is on a terror alert at the moment. They say to be extra cautious if you are in France or Germany. They almost go so far as to say “Stay home” if you are an American traveling to Europe. I wonder how many people decide to not go on a trip because of a terror alert. It’s easy to think ‘oh, that would never happen’ if you aren’t around situations like that.

Suppose you lived with situations like ‘frequent terror alerts’ you might think people traveling to Europe (because they planned their vacation way in advance) are slightly insane to come if they have a choice! Then again, this begs the question, should one allow themselves to be stopped by everything that could go wrong? Or just live their life trusting that when it’s their time to go, it’s their time to go.

However, it’s stupid to do things you know are stupid because of the assumption that “if I don’t make it, I wasn’t meant too.”

On a side note, when 9/11 happened people stopped flying places. You could get tickets at ridiculously low prices because airlines just needed passengers. I suppose something has to happen- something that one might feel is extreme enough, in order to actually take someone’s advice and just stay home.

And that’s about where I am at. I’m not leaving for Europe November. I don’t think I would cancel my ticket unless something detrimental happened that I felt had a 74.3679% chance of affecting me. And if something did happen before I flew out, after it’s happened, is that the end? Nobody wants to jump back in the stock market after it crashes- until they know/can assume it’s going back up. But it’s those that are willing to take risks that might make a killing out of just throwing their money in there, even when the majority of people might be hesitant.

People who were taking advantage of cheap tickets were probably pretty psyched. It’s really expensive to fly places.

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The other day I studied. And for a change of pace, I studied some more. After several hours of this, I decided to head out to one of my favorite coffee shops and walk around for a bit. It was lovely! As I was driving back, I chanced to see something that slightly concerned me.

On the right side of the road, pulled off, there was a man and a woman. They were gazing, all perplexed like, at a super nice and shiny motorcycle. What I found most unusual was that the couple looked like they were in their 80s.

Like…. “Honey, what is this thing?”

I want to be someone who is still going out on motorcycle rides in my 90s. I will start by putting “Take a ride on a motorcycle” on my bucket list. As I have yet to experience that, I think I should start before getting excited at the thought of “Heading out in my 90s!”

Lord of the Flies

Dear Readers,

There is a new development in my life at the moment- it appears I am headed to Europe in November. Details  to follow! Let's just say, I'm super psyched and excited. If you all have any travel tips, please let me know! This will be my first time in Europe.

Because of the *above said trip* I am having to work overtime to finish my school. I have two classes that really just take time. Think- Advanced Accounting and Auditing. Auditing is easy but time consuming! Sadly, this means my time spent on blogger will be limited. However, I will post as often as possible! And, I will have a  *real* post up here as soon as I have a chance! 

I've also decided it's time to write myself a bucket list. There are two blogs I've found that I enjoy and that seems to be their focus. Definitely inspiring! Speaking of finding blogs, I want to give a shout out to this amazing blog that I recently stumbled upon. http://www.danoah.com/ . If you have a chance to check it out, do so! He's an incredibly honest blogger and what he says usually holds a lot of truth. And, my google reader is filling up! I've been finding lots of cool blogs lately. I think it has everything to do with 20sb. haha 

I realize what I'm about to say is *old news*  considering I read it 2 days ago. Apparently there was this 12 year old kid who spent time around a particular neighborhood harassing it. One woman, 68 years old had enough- after the police left, the kids came back. According to cbs2chicago.com, harassing =  "McCoy said the boy had been breaking windows, breaking items on Matthews' shed house, and setting her garbage on fire. "

Well, she pulled out a gun and shot after the kids. One of them did get it in the arm. I think she was perfectly well justified. You're never too young to be a bully. I know 3 year olds who have to be taught that being -sweet- is a good thing. And to not 'hit your brother' because at that age they need someone to teach them manners! How would they know what's acceptable or not? That reminds me of Lord of the Flies. That's a chilling and disturbing book. It does paint an interesting picture about children and what can happen if left unattended. 

According to the article, the woman has her neighbors siding with her and she's not charged with anything. I think it's sad that it ever had to come to that point, however, what would YOU DO? Obviously she called the cops and of course, the kids just ran. Now, the parents to the arm shot kid are saying their boy is a nice boy! And he would never do something like that.... blah blah blah. I'm assuming if he was running wild, they probably didn't spend much time with him, nor did they know what he was up too. 

It's an unfortunate event, however, I'm sure that boy will take that lesson with him. If I was shot at, it would be like the cold slap of reality- even if I wasn't hit. I'm just thankful that nothing worse happened- and that the boy can walk away thinking twice next time he decides to go burn another lady's garbage. Or throw bricks into her house. She was ALONE! And 68 years old! 

And that's Emily reporting to you live from SK- Washington

*Just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has commented, is following, or is reading- You all are the best!!* 

Fall Confession Two

Two

In my younger teens, prank phone calls were the norm.  

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Usually it was done on an evening when the parent’s were out. We would pull out the phonebook, skim the numbers, and make the phone calls. 

The average, I’m bored and not creative phone calls usually went something like this: 

Kid One: “Let’s call that number!” 

Kid Two: “Hi, is Michael there?” “Oh, I’m sorry… thanks, bye.”

A little more creative:

Kid one:    “Hi, would you like to buy a zebra?”

                 “They come in many different colors” 

                 “We’re selling them on a discount today, only $2,000”

                 “Alright, bye.”

Kid two: What did they SAY?

What are the chances:

Sister #2 at one point liked a particular boy. His parents were ultra paranoid and didn’t have a listed phone number and at that time, one couldn’t just let the boy know they had a crush on him.  However, his family was best friends with a second family my sister knew. *Disguising her voice* She called second family’s number asking for *Jake’s* number. What does any best family friend do? Not give out the number of course.  A couple years later, we find out that Jake’s mother thought someone was out to get her boy. Ooops. Fail. 

Should have known….

Kid one: Call this number- 555-555-5555. And ask for a Ben!

Kid two: *suspicious look* “Ok- it better not be someone we know”

Kid one: “pssh, no worries”

Kid two: “Hi, may I speak to Ben?” “No, no message, I’ll call back later”

Kid one: *giggles*

Kid two: “You said it wasn’t anyone we knew!!” “That was Ben's mom!” 

It was wrong but it was fun at the time. 

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FBI agents cheated on a security test, oh my. I suppose most people will take the easy route if they can. That’s not what caught my attention though. According to Reuters- The test’s final question asked if the test taker had consulted with anyone while taking the test. (which they had). The article made a point to mention that the 22 people that had cheated on the test answered no to that question. 

Excuse me…. Would you have answered yes if you had cheated? The only reason I can think one would give themselves away so easily was if they were overcome by a wave of guilt. You might as well just study for it or just go fail it at that point. 

And that’s Emily reporting to you live from Sk- Washington. 

Love Triangles

      We all like a good love triangle. (or not) Take Edward, Bella, and Jacob. Jacob has quite the following, sans me. I read the books before I even watched the movies and my heart went to Edward. Period. I’m not a Twilight fanatic but there was something about the books.  Jacob didn’t like Edward but he didn’t kill him.

When I was in my teens I took a trip to Mexico with a group of boys and girls on a mission's trip. We built 3 houses in a period of 10 days. There’s a saying- what happens in _______ stays in ______.  For real for true. My sister and I ended up liking the same boy - I still think we’re psychologically recovering from that. I remember how excited I was when I realized he liked me too- I couldn’t bring myself to tell my sister though. How do you say, “I’m sorry girl, I just really really like him?” She liked him first. Sister was mad at me but she didn’t kill me. 

Let’s turn our attention away from fiction and Mexico towards Belgium four years ago. Two friends each had separate relationships with their skydiving instructor.  Els Clottemans is now on trial for the sabotaging of her friend’s parachute, which ended in her death.  That’s cold. Apparently she didn’t like her friend and decided- enough of the competition! I don’t know if I can understand that. Why not change skydiving instructors? Grow up? Move on? I suppose when you think you’re in love, logic comes second.

So, next time you decide to go skydiving with your friend… evaluate how good your relationship is.

I spent a good portion of this morning finishing up my final project for my Federal Income Taxation class.  This girl is happy!! I celebrated by heading to Barnes and Noble, buying some GMAT flashcards, and catching up with the girlfriends.

And that’s Emily, reporting to you live from Sk- Washington