Sunday, November 2, 2008
I'm way overweight.
So I'm officially going on a diet. I will probably just ramble about it on here.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Charalie-
I don't really know what to say. I mean, I didn't talk to you much since Matt and I moved away, but really, how did it get to that point? What were your last thoughts? I mean, I talked to you just a couple weeks ago, about the baby and jobs and how it sucks working all the time. There were no signs, I mean, you told me you didn't know if you wanted all the responsibility, but I don't know I don't think that's what drove you to all this. Really, why didn't you just call one of us. There are so many people asking that, "man, why didn't he just call me?"
What you did is something that I contemplated at so many points in my life, and just watching everyone in your life after the fact, I could never do it. I mean, I understand to a point. I thought about it so much, I always just thought people would understand, but now I realize, no one understands. It's just strange, there was no indication that anything was even wrong.
I'm not mad. I just wish that there would have been something I could have done. I really do regret losing contact with you, after everything. But it was so weird. I say that now, but I know the people closest to you and you didn't talk to them, why would you have talked to me?
I'll always remember the fun times, skateboarding, old school video games, awkward hanging out times, late night ramblings to each other, you and Andy making out with me in the middle, going to shows/playing shows- you were always supportive of me no matter how much I sucked :), double dates, watching you and Sarah play video games. Truthfully, out of all Matt's friends, I liked you best!
I don't know what else to say. Sometimes I wish I believed in heaven so I could think that you were up there. But to me it's more feasible that you've just been reborn as some other soul that's going to rock the planet on guitar, hopefully this time when you're reborn you'll live somewhere cooler than Burlington.
Love you forever dude
-Natlie
What you did is something that I contemplated at so many points in my life, and just watching everyone in your life after the fact, I could never do it. I mean, I understand to a point. I thought about it so much, I always just thought people would understand, but now I realize, no one understands. It's just strange, there was no indication that anything was even wrong.
I'm not mad. I just wish that there would have been something I could have done. I really do regret losing contact with you, after everything. But it was so weird. I say that now, but I know the people closest to you and you didn't talk to them, why would you have talked to me?
I'll always remember the fun times, skateboarding, old school video games, awkward hanging out times, late night ramblings to each other, you and Andy making out with me in the middle, going to shows/playing shows- you were always supportive of me no matter how much I sucked :), double dates, watching you and Sarah play video games. Truthfully, out of all Matt's friends, I liked you best!
I don't know what else to say. Sometimes I wish I believed in heaven so I could think that you were up there. But to me it's more feasible that you've just been reborn as some other soul that's going to rock the planet on guitar, hopefully this time when you're reborn you'll live somewhere cooler than Burlington.
Love you forever dude
-Natlie
Monday, September 1, 2008
Things that piss me off.
So usually, if you've read any other posts, you know my blogs are usually pretty happy, just me rambling about things that I love. Well today, I'm tired of it. I'm going to talk about things that I don't like, in list form.
1. Coralville. I live in Iowa City, I work in Coralville, most of the major shopping in the area is in Coralville. I really really don't like Coralville. I'm not sure why, it's just not very welcoming. There seems to be a lot of crime, I work in a pretty crummy area and so maybe that skews my perception. There's always road construction, or a sheet of ice, or both on the main road through it. I hate the mall and despise going there but I do anyways for Target, Old Navy, and Maurices. Seriously, the mall is probably the worst part of it. It's really long, there aren't many good stores, Iowans in the area flock to it because it's the biggest shopping area for quite a few miles, and there are always lines in every store but Lane Bryant.
2. Dodge/Chrysler I think they suck. That's about it
3. Windows Vista. I think this is the only OS I have ever used where 2 gigs of ram isn't enough. I'm not sure why this got released at all. Maybe because they poured money into it and didn't predict all the backlash against it. I've used Windows for my computing for most of my life and Vista made me switch to Linux (which I probably would have done anyways because it RULES) I actually think I may just take it off my computer completely because it's a waste of a huge amount of space. The more I use Linux the more I hate Vista and refuse to use it.
4. Knee problems. I used to run 5 miles most days, then I developed arthritis and now I can't run more than two without pain. I just want a new goddamn knee.
5. Sitting all day at work. I can feel myself getting fatter.
6. Waking up to go to work by 9 AM. Since I was on a 10-6:30 schedule for so long I have a really hard time waking up before 9. You would think that hour wouldn't make much of a difference, but it makes a HUGE difference, trust me.
7. Republicans. I don't really need to explain that
8. Automated voice systems that can't understand anything I'm saying. Pizza hut used to have the absolute worst. I wanted to punch the phone everytime I called. Fuck that.
9. Being hungry after I've already brushed my teeth. It's like, man, do I eat again and rebrush these things or do I not eat and go hungry. What a decision. (I only include this as it is my predicament now)
10. Money. I never have enough.
I think I'll quit because 10 is a good number that doesn't piss me off.
1. Coralville. I live in Iowa City, I work in Coralville, most of the major shopping in the area is in Coralville. I really really don't like Coralville. I'm not sure why, it's just not very welcoming. There seems to be a lot of crime, I work in a pretty crummy area and so maybe that skews my perception. There's always road construction, or a sheet of ice, or both on the main road through it. I hate the mall and despise going there but I do anyways for Target, Old Navy, and Maurices. Seriously, the mall is probably the worst part of it. It's really long, there aren't many good stores, Iowans in the area flock to it because it's the biggest shopping area for quite a few miles, and there are always lines in every store but Lane Bryant.
2. Dodge/Chrysler I think they suck. That's about it
3. Windows Vista. I think this is the only OS I have ever used where 2 gigs of ram isn't enough. I'm not sure why this got released at all. Maybe because they poured money into it and didn't predict all the backlash against it. I've used Windows for my computing for most of my life and Vista made me switch to Linux (which I probably would have done anyways because it RULES) I actually think I may just take it off my computer completely because it's a waste of a huge amount of space. The more I use Linux the more I hate Vista and refuse to use it.
4. Knee problems. I used to run 5 miles most days, then I developed arthritis and now I can't run more than two without pain. I just want a new goddamn knee.
5. Sitting all day at work. I can feel myself getting fatter.
6. Waking up to go to work by 9 AM. Since I was on a 10-6:30 schedule for so long I have a really hard time waking up before 9. You would think that hour wouldn't make much of a difference, but it makes a HUGE difference, trust me.
7. Republicans. I don't really need to explain that
8. Automated voice systems that can't understand anything I'm saying. Pizza hut used to have the absolute worst. I wanted to punch the phone everytime I called. Fuck that.
9. Being hungry after I've already brushed my teeth. It's like, man, do I eat again and rebrush these things or do I not eat and go hungry. What a decision. (I only include this as it is my predicament now)
10. Money. I never have enough.
I think I'll quit because 10 is a good number that doesn't piss me off.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sheltered
So I realized I'm really out of touch with mainstream music, and really just pop culture in general. I don't know the latest bands, I have no idea what celebrities are popular other than the things I see on the tabloids while standing in line at the grocery store, and I haven't really watched any of the new TV Shows. But I really don't have any desire to. I really have no reason other than the fact that sometimes when I'm talking to people they reference these things and I'm clueless.
I was thinking about it again today and I really have never been in touch with what's considered cool and what's not. Well, I have to take part of that back, I know that what I like is generally not considered cool so I have the second half figured out. I mean, even as far back as elementary school I was way out of touch. I listened to bands that none of my classmates had heard of. I loved REM, Rush, Phil Collins, and Collective Soul. I really didn't watch much TV and I remember how weird I always felt when all the other kids talked about Step By Step, The Real World, and Blossom. I watched Discovery Channel. And the weather. How do you fit in with that when you're a third grader and all you watch is educational shows (by choice, my parents really didn't care what I watched) I tried to fit in, I would smile, and say that I watched the shows, I would pretend I listened to the music (I can't even remember what music they talked about because I never listened to it and have no idea what was popular aside from grunge and none of the other kids liked that apparently).
The only time I ever really got involved with pop culture was in middle school, I watched MTV, listened to the radio, followed celebrities, watched popular movies. And then I realized that I didn't really care. So I went back to being out of touch and not really caring what anyone else was doing. In high school a lot of the times I guess I was ahead of the game and knew about a lot of bands before they got popular but I always listened to weird shit and most of the time it didn't get popular.
It's really a lot better this way. Sometimes I get weird looks when people get into my car and I'm still listening to grunge (most rock aside from indie rock sucked after that). I do listen to a few new bands, but mostly just stuff people think is weirder than grunge.
The whole point of this blog is that I realized during my childhood I was almost sheltered from pop culture. I don't think that was my parents intention really, because it's not like they were sheltering me because they thought it would be a bad influence, I think they just thought the shit they were into was cool and I thought I would like it too. And I'm not sure if it was more they didn't expose it to me or more I didn't really care for it. Most of the time I just emulated my uncle (who is still the coolest person I know) and he was always kind of out there. My mom usually just tells me I was born a decade too late.
I was thinking about it again today and I really have never been in touch with what's considered cool and what's not. Well, I have to take part of that back, I know that what I like is generally not considered cool so I have the second half figured out. I mean, even as far back as elementary school I was way out of touch. I listened to bands that none of my classmates had heard of. I loved REM, Rush, Phil Collins, and Collective Soul. I really didn't watch much TV and I remember how weird I always felt when all the other kids talked about Step By Step, The Real World, and Blossom. I watched Discovery Channel. And the weather. How do you fit in with that when you're a third grader and all you watch is educational shows (by choice, my parents really didn't care what I watched) I tried to fit in, I would smile, and say that I watched the shows, I would pretend I listened to the music (I can't even remember what music they talked about because I never listened to it and have no idea what was popular aside from grunge and none of the other kids liked that apparently).
The only time I ever really got involved with pop culture was in middle school, I watched MTV, listened to the radio, followed celebrities, watched popular movies. And then I realized that I didn't really care. So I went back to being out of touch and not really caring what anyone else was doing. In high school a lot of the times I guess I was ahead of the game and knew about a lot of bands before they got popular but I always listened to weird shit and most of the time it didn't get popular.
It's really a lot better this way. Sometimes I get weird looks when people get into my car and I'm still listening to grunge (most rock aside from indie rock sucked after that). I do listen to a few new bands, but mostly just stuff people think is weirder than grunge.
The whole point of this blog is that I realized during my childhood I was almost sheltered from pop culture. I don't think that was my parents intention really, because it's not like they were sheltering me because they thought it would be a bad influence, I think they just thought the shit they were into was cool and I thought I would like it too. And I'm not sure if it was more they didn't expose it to me or more I didn't really care for it. Most of the time I just emulated my uncle (who is still the coolest person I know) and he was always kind of out there. My mom usually just tells me I was born a decade too late.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Brita water pitchers amaze me.
It's true. The little things in life like Brita water pitchers really excite me. We bought one about a month ago. Here's the story behind our Brita pitcher... (I don't know why I am writing this, I sometimes think if I write about boring things in my life that it will make me sleepy (I have constant insomnia)).
When the floods hit we, like most other people in Iowa City, stocked up on water. We bought about 10 gallons of bottled water. The water receded and all was well in Iowa City so we decided to start drinking from our stockpile. I can't really recall how long it took to drink all of the water, but we got through it. Then, after being spoiled so long with bottled water, we tried to go back to drinking tap water. Iowa City's water leaves much to be desired and the taste grossed us out and we started buying bottled water refills from Hy Vee (It's only 25 cents if you're refilling). Then we went on a trip to Chicago and our friends had a Brita pitcher and now I'm obsessed with them. The only thing that bothers me about it, after I put water into it all this black stuff is filtered out and it really freaks me out that I drank it for so long.
Perhaps I should write about something more interesting now. Work is going well. There seems to be a correlation, less days worked, work is perceived as being better. I really haven't been working much at all lately. Well, it doesn't seem that way, I only work four days a week, but they're ten hour days.. it all adds up in the end. But I've been taking vacation days too, so I only work three days a week. It's pretty sweet. And I'm super excited for Halloween because I am off Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My family is obsessed with Halloween. My parents make our back patio into a haunted house and have a giant party every year. Since I moved away I haven't really been around to enjoy this as I always have always had to go to work or school the next day.
I really miss college. It was probably the best time in my life. Sad that I couldn't wait to get it over with (I got my bachelor's in three years). As much as I hated it my first year, I really miss Macomb, I miss being closer to my family, I even miss working at Bickel's. I miss the school part a lot too. Random, but I just thought about driving back on Halloween night in my Ford Contour by myself to my empty apartment. That first year I really regretted living by myself in an apartment. I went to school knowing one person, that I really didn't hang out with much. It was definitely a good experience as it taught me to rely on myself and learn how to make the best of any situation and occupy myself. I ran a lot that first year, sometimes twice a day because I would be so bored being home alone at night. That first year was crazy. I had my first relationship, got dumped, started running 5 miles a day, rediscovered bicycling, met one of the absolute coolest people I have ever met in my life, went to a few cool parties, and played in a band with my little brother. I miss the time my brother and I spent together. We used to be inseperable, we had all the same friends, did the same stuff, hung out all the time. Now he lives far away, rides a motorcycle, and has boot friends. I live far away, work full time, and hang out with girls. But I still relate to him better than anyone else in my life. Well, it's kind of a tie between him and my mom. Then it's Matt, Alyssa, Rachel, and Tadd. I love everyone.
So recently I got a phone call from someone I hadn't talked to in probably two years. It was weird, because we talked just like we never got in a fight years ago and stopped speaking. It's just weird, we talked for about 1/2 hour the other day. I don't know that we'll ever hang out again, but it's just odd how quickly someone can come back into your life and it's like they never left.
I'm still not tired but I think I should stop my late night ramblings.
When the floods hit we, like most other people in Iowa City, stocked up on water. We bought about 10 gallons of bottled water. The water receded and all was well in Iowa City so we decided to start drinking from our stockpile. I can't really recall how long it took to drink all of the water, but we got through it. Then, after being spoiled so long with bottled water, we tried to go back to drinking tap water. Iowa City's water leaves much to be desired and the taste grossed us out and we started buying bottled water refills from Hy Vee (It's only 25 cents if you're refilling). Then we went on a trip to Chicago and our friends had a Brita pitcher and now I'm obsessed with them. The only thing that bothers me about it, after I put water into it all this black stuff is filtered out and it really freaks me out that I drank it for so long.
Perhaps I should write about something more interesting now. Work is going well. There seems to be a correlation, less days worked, work is perceived as being better. I really haven't been working much at all lately. Well, it doesn't seem that way, I only work four days a week, but they're ten hour days.. it all adds up in the end. But I've been taking vacation days too, so I only work three days a week. It's pretty sweet. And I'm super excited for Halloween because I am off Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My family is obsessed with Halloween. My parents make our back patio into a haunted house and have a giant party every year. Since I moved away I haven't really been around to enjoy this as I always have always had to go to work or school the next day.
I really miss college. It was probably the best time in my life. Sad that I couldn't wait to get it over with (I got my bachelor's in three years). As much as I hated it my first year, I really miss Macomb, I miss being closer to my family, I even miss working at Bickel's. I miss the school part a lot too. Random, but I just thought about driving back on Halloween night in my Ford Contour by myself to my empty apartment. That first year I really regretted living by myself in an apartment. I went to school knowing one person, that I really didn't hang out with much. It was definitely a good experience as it taught me to rely on myself and learn how to make the best of any situation and occupy myself. I ran a lot that first year, sometimes twice a day because I would be so bored being home alone at night. That first year was crazy. I had my first relationship, got dumped, started running 5 miles a day, rediscovered bicycling, met one of the absolute coolest people I have ever met in my life, went to a few cool parties, and played in a band with my little brother. I miss the time my brother and I spent together. We used to be inseperable, we had all the same friends, did the same stuff, hung out all the time. Now he lives far away, rides a motorcycle, and has boot friends. I live far away, work full time, and hang out with girls. But I still relate to him better than anyone else in my life. Well, it's kind of a tie between him and my mom. Then it's Matt, Alyssa, Rachel, and Tadd. I love everyone.
So recently I got a phone call from someone I hadn't talked to in probably two years. It was weird, because we talked just like we never got in a fight years ago and stopped speaking. It's just weird, we talked for about 1/2 hour the other day. I don't know that we'll ever hang out again, but it's just odd how quickly someone can come back into your life and it's like they never left.
I'm still not tired but I think I should stop my late night ramblings.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Blog Revival!!
So I forgot all about this blog, until I was reading Sara's blog about South Korea and I wanted to leave a comment, so I did. I guess the secret is out. I write in this thing. If she looks at that comment she will be the first person I know to read it. How um exciting?
Anyways, half the reason I write in this is so I can relieve stress, the other half is so I can look back at my thoughts. I read through my last post and noticed the part about being scared about my brother's safety. I posted that, and a about a week later he got in a motorcycle accident. Luckily he's alive, he snapped his femur in half and has a titanium rod through it and uses a walker, but he's alive, he's very very lucky. It's just weird to see him like this. I think about it everyday, and how lucky we are to still have him here. Hopefully he takes something away from this experience.
In other news I think I may tackle setting my parent's computer up with Ubuntu. I'm on their computer right now and it sucks. My dad is super paranoid about viruses and spyware and I talked to him about Linux. Tomorrow I think that I'm going to set their computer up so they can dual boot. Hopefully it goes well. I've set up dual booting a couple times (once with Harley's help and once in my 8th grade glory) and I am actually kind of nervous about it. I don't know why, the install disk is super easy and does all the work for you. I just don't know, I feel rusty with my nerd skills since I don't use them much and my parent's don't have a backup XP disc. So I guess they could have just Linux :). I don't think they would care, all they use it for is surfing the web.
Speaking of old posts, I was looking back at how I excited I was about having three days off in a row. Excitingly enough I got a new work schedule. I work four ten hour days and have Thursday, Friday, Saturday off now. It sucks that I work Sunday but really I dthink it's worth it.Thursday is sweet because I can do all my errands and Friday and Saturday are nice because Matt gets those days off every other week.
Today I realized I am nowhere close to being ready for parenthood. It's not something that I've really been thinking about or planning on but I just realized how, in case anything should go wrong, I would be completely screwed. My friend Jory has the worldest coolest baby and I was playing with him today. But I didn't know how to feed him or do anything besides make him giggle. If I had a baby I would be completely lost. It freaks me out so much I don't know that I will ever pursue having children.
Good news! I started a diet about 4 weeks ago and have lost 13 pounds. It doesn't sound like a lot but my clothes are fitting better (except for my old pants that fall to the floor). I've been watching my carbs and doing cardio everyday. I usually walk for 1/2 hour at work on my lunch and then get home and either go running for 1.5-2 miles, ride my bike for forty minutes, or do my airdyne for 1/2 hour. I'm really excited, I've always had body issues and it feels good to take some control over that. I've really made a lot of progress with it anyways, I'm much more accepting of myself.
So I went to Manhattan, Il last weekend with my boyfriend because most of his extended family lives there. It's a town of about 8,000 and it's about an hour away from Chicago. And it really surprised me that they got their first 24 hour gas station in the last six months. I guess maybe I've been spoiled living in college towns but it kind of blew my mind that nothing was open 24 hours, not even a gas station. I mean where I live we have 24 hour grocery stores, Wal-Marts, and restraunts. And if it isn't open 24 hours it's open pretty late. His cousin was amazed that we can order pizza until 2 or 3 in the morning. And that we can get beer delivered to our house, but that surprises most people.
Anyways my blog has served it's purpose and I'm tired now so I think I'm going to bed.
Anyways, half the reason I write in this is so I can relieve stress, the other half is so I can look back at my thoughts. I read through my last post and noticed the part about being scared about my brother's safety. I posted that, and a about a week later he got in a motorcycle accident. Luckily he's alive, he snapped his femur in half and has a titanium rod through it and uses a walker, but he's alive, he's very very lucky. It's just weird to see him like this. I think about it everyday, and how lucky we are to still have him here. Hopefully he takes something away from this experience.
In other news I think I may tackle setting my parent's computer up with Ubuntu. I'm on their computer right now and it sucks. My dad is super paranoid about viruses and spyware and I talked to him about Linux. Tomorrow I think that I'm going to set their computer up so they can dual boot. Hopefully it goes well. I've set up dual booting a couple times (once with Harley's help and once in my 8th grade glory) and I am actually kind of nervous about it. I don't know why, the install disk is super easy and does all the work for you. I just don't know, I feel rusty with my nerd skills since I don't use them much and my parent's don't have a backup XP disc. So I guess they could have just Linux :). I don't think they would care, all they use it for is surfing the web.
Speaking of old posts, I was looking back at how I excited I was about having three days off in a row. Excitingly enough I got a new work schedule. I work four ten hour days and have Thursday, Friday, Saturday off now. It sucks that I work Sunday but really I dthink it's worth it.Thursday is sweet because I can do all my errands and Friday and Saturday are nice because Matt gets those days off every other week.
Today I realized I am nowhere close to being ready for parenthood. It's not something that I've really been thinking about or planning on but I just realized how, in case anything should go wrong, I would be completely screwed. My friend Jory has the worldest coolest baby and I was playing with him today. But I didn't know how to feed him or do anything besides make him giggle. If I had a baby I would be completely lost. It freaks me out so much I don't know that I will ever pursue having children.
Good news! I started a diet about 4 weeks ago and have lost 13 pounds. It doesn't sound like a lot but my clothes are fitting better (except for my old pants that fall to the floor). I've been watching my carbs and doing cardio everyday. I usually walk for 1/2 hour at work on my lunch and then get home and either go running for 1.5-2 miles, ride my bike for forty minutes, or do my airdyne for 1/2 hour. I'm really excited, I've always had body issues and it feels good to take some control over that. I've really made a lot of progress with it anyways, I'm much more accepting of myself.
So I went to Manhattan, Il last weekend with my boyfriend because most of his extended family lives there. It's a town of about 8,000 and it's about an hour away from Chicago. And it really surprised me that they got their first 24 hour gas station in the last six months. I guess maybe I've been spoiled living in college towns but it kind of blew my mind that nothing was open 24 hours, not even a gas station. I mean where I live we have 24 hour grocery stores, Wal-Marts, and restraunts. And if it isn't open 24 hours it's open pretty late. His cousin was amazed that we can order pizza until 2 or 3 in the morning. And that we can get beer delivered to our house, but that surprises most people.
Anyways my blog has served it's purpose and I'm tired now so I think I'm going to bed.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Little Things
Sometimes I wonder if someone I know will stumble upon this blog and all my random thoughts. I don't really care much about their reaction, it would just be weird.
So lately I've been really depressed. We've been having disasterous floods, literally, and it's really depressing to see so much just completely ruined. It's a cruel reminder that no matter what we do mother nature will always have the upper hand. It's just terrible to see my city and Cedar Rapids (1/2 hour north of us) under water like this. Luckily we live a good four miles from the flooding. The only impact it's had on my directly is that there is only one way to get to work as the two main roads through Iowa City/Coralville are closed, oh and the constant fear that we will be without water and electricity for an extended period of time in the middle of an Iowa summer. The good news is that the Iowa River crested and things will slowly return to normal, or as normal as they can be after being able to drive a boat down the main street in Coralville.
The whole point of the preface is that I am depressed and need to remind myself of the little things that really make life great. So I will make an indefinite list.
1. Running + Kate Nash/Pearl Jam. Really, nothing in life can beat this. Especially around the pond behind our apartment complex. It's an amazing feeling to be outside in nature and just running. It's wonderful, it's just me.
2. Running Water. This is one of those amazing things you don't realize is amazing until you don't have it or are very close to losing it. It's amazing that I can take a shower!
3. Slow Days at work. Nothing beats the bonding time with other people in my section as we have extended periods of time between calls. It really makes my job not so bad at all. I have a lot of fun with the people that I work with when I'm not getting yelled at on the phone!
4. Funky necklaces. I love weird necklaces so much that I am now that girl at work. The one with the weird clothes and accessories. I just love funky stuff.
5. I know this isn't a little thing, but being a mutually caring relationship. After a year and a half there aren't many surprises left but I do find myself caring about Matt more and more each day.
6. Waking up early and laying in bed. I love waking up around 6 AM and laying there for awhile and just soaking in the sunlight (we have a giant window in our room). I also love getting up at this time and running or rollerblading (yes, I still rollerblade.)
7. Dogs. My parents have a fox terrier and he just makes me realize how amazing dogs are. Dogs are so cool, they're so intuitive. So amazing, so clever. I really love smart dogs that are responsive to people. Even though my dog is a jerk and won't fetch and runs away with the toys.
8. My Brother. This is another thing that I wouldn't really classify as little, but my brother is awesome. He's crazy sometimes, and sometimes I really do worry about his safety. But I don't really know anyone else that I get along with as well. He's just a really chill person. It must have been because I picked on him so much as a child.
That concludes my list for tonight. I feel much better now.
So lately I've been really depressed. We've been having disasterous floods, literally, and it's really depressing to see so much just completely ruined. It's a cruel reminder that no matter what we do mother nature will always have the upper hand. It's just terrible to see my city and Cedar Rapids (1/2 hour north of us) under water like this. Luckily we live a good four miles from the flooding. The only impact it's had on my directly is that there is only one way to get to work as the two main roads through Iowa City/Coralville are closed, oh and the constant fear that we will be without water and electricity for an extended period of time in the middle of an Iowa summer. The good news is that the Iowa River crested and things will slowly return to normal, or as normal as they can be after being able to drive a boat down the main street in Coralville.
The whole point of the preface is that I am depressed and need to remind myself of the little things that really make life great. So I will make an indefinite list.
1. Running + Kate Nash/Pearl Jam. Really, nothing in life can beat this. Especially around the pond behind our apartment complex. It's an amazing feeling to be outside in nature and just running. It's wonderful, it's just me.
2. Running Water. This is one of those amazing things you don't realize is amazing until you don't have it or are very close to losing it. It's amazing that I can take a shower!
3. Slow Days at work. Nothing beats the bonding time with other people in my section as we have extended periods of time between calls. It really makes my job not so bad at all. I have a lot of fun with the people that I work with when I'm not getting yelled at on the phone!
4. Funky necklaces. I love weird necklaces so much that I am now that girl at work. The one with the weird clothes and accessories. I just love funky stuff.
5. I know this isn't a little thing, but being a mutually caring relationship. After a year and a half there aren't many surprises left but I do find myself caring about Matt more and more each day.
6. Waking up early and laying in bed. I love waking up around 6 AM and laying there for awhile and just soaking in the sunlight (we have a giant window in our room). I also love getting up at this time and running or rollerblading (yes, I still rollerblade.)
7. Dogs. My parents have a fox terrier and he just makes me realize how amazing dogs are. Dogs are so cool, they're so intuitive. So amazing, so clever. I really love smart dogs that are responsive to people. Even though my dog is a jerk and won't fetch and runs away with the toys.
8. My Brother. This is another thing that I wouldn't really classify as little, but my brother is awesome. He's crazy sometimes, and sometimes I really do worry about his safety. But I don't really know anyone else that I get along with as well. He's just a really chill person. It must have been because I picked on him so much as a child.
That concludes my list for tonight. I feel much better now.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Asthma
So recently I was diagnosed with asthma. Strangely, it wasn't the first time. I was diagnosed as a child when I was in fourth grade. I used an inhaler for about a year, and then I don't know if my symptoms really got better, I got used to the symptoms, I was less active, or I got sick of using the inhaler. Regardless it didn't come up again until the age of 22. The doctor diagnosed me with asthma (again) and prescribed me an inhaler (again). Thinking back to the last few years, the symptoms I'm having aren't new. Even when I was running five miles a day I still wheezed and coughed while running. Sometimes I had trouble getting a deep breathe. I really didn't think anything of it. I actually wasn't thinking anything of it recently, it just came up when the doctor was listening to me breathe that I can't breathe deeply without coughing. Anyways, back to the point, so now that I am aware that I have asthma I actually worry about these symptoms. Lately I have been having, what I think, are allergies flare up. My nose gets really congested so tonight I had to breathe through my mouth. Well, I'm having trouble with really deep breathes. So now I'm freaking out. I'm trying to calm myself down. I mean, apparently I've had this nearly my whole life and it hasn't killed me yet, why worry now? But now I'm puffing away on an inhaler scared for my life. Funny how something that should help may actually make things worse (stress can make asthma worse). So that's my insight for the day.
In other news I am extremely excited for the weekend. I have three days off!! Wow. That never happens to me, I actually checked the schedule three times, just to make sure I still had my vacation in and that I was off Monday instead of Wednesday. I'm so excited. My boyfriend and I are going to stay with my parents this weekend. That's always exciting, they always treat us when we're down there. It will be nice. We're coming home Sunday and I'll still be off Monday so I can get groceries and do all those beginning of the week chores.
I went shopping today, actually it was more like a shopping spree. I bought three shirts, a purse, and a necklace. In my defense I only spent like eighty bucks and got all that stuff, but eighty dollars is still eighty dollars. I need to stop buying shirts and maybe invest in some more pants. I have recently acquired and abundance of shirts, so many, that I often forget I have them all and wear the same ones over and over. I just hate shopping for pants, they make me feel so fat and they never fit right. I have a large waist, no but, and skinny legs. Yep, I'm built.
In conclusion, I'm tired, me neighbors are playing loud music, and I want to get up early, so good night!!
In other news I am extremely excited for the weekend. I have three days off!! Wow. That never happens to me, I actually checked the schedule three times, just to make sure I still had my vacation in and that I was off Monday instead of Wednesday. I'm so excited. My boyfriend and I are going to stay with my parents this weekend. That's always exciting, they always treat us when we're down there. It will be nice. We're coming home Sunday and I'll still be off Monday so I can get groceries and do all those beginning of the week chores.
I went shopping today, actually it was more like a shopping spree. I bought three shirts, a purse, and a necklace. In my defense I only spent like eighty bucks and got all that stuff, but eighty dollars is still eighty dollars. I need to stop buying shirts and maybe invest in some more pants. I have recently acquired and abundance of shirts, so many, that I often forget I have them all and wear the same ones over and over. I just hate shopping for pants, they make me feel so fat and they never fit right. I have a large waist, no but, and skinny legs. Yep, I'm built.
In conclusion, I'm tired, me neighbors are playing loud music, and I want to get up early, so good night!!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Insomnia's making a comeback; commitment
So the insomnia has made it's grand comeback. This is two nights in a row. Don't really like going to work all sleepy but I'll make do.
So the other day I was making a left turn, before I had actually started the left turn and while I could still stop I saw a car coming at me, but I slammed on the gas and went anyways. After that I spent the next few moments wondering why the hell I turned in front of a speeding car? The more I thought about it, the more I realized how, in my younger years, I was extremely hesitant and unsure of every action. So I thought about the things that changed between that time and making the left turn. And I think I figured it out. Skateboarding.
I skateboarded for about five years. At first I was extremely timid and unsure of any trick I tried. I had what was called a "pussy foot" meaning that I would do the motions for a trick but wouldn't land them, one of my feet was always off the board. So over and over my little brother told me I had to commit. Eventually I did commit, well, to everything but kickflips. Later in life I took up mountain biking and had to adopt the same attitude. If you're going to do something, don't do it half way. You have to put yourself out there, give it a real effort, and don't turn back. As I learned, especially with mountain biking, you can hurt yourself a lot worse if you chicken out half way through.
Taking up these sports really changed my perspective on life. No matter what I do, no matter how stupid it is, I now commit 100%. It transfers to everything, work, love, family, recreation, and apparently, driving. Sometimes it's not the smartest way to live, but really, it works for me. Now if I want to say something, I stand up and commit 100%.
So the other day I was making a left turn, before I had actually started the left turn and while I could still stop I saw a car coming at me, but I slammed on the gas and went anyways. After that I spent the next few moments wondering why the hell I turned in front of a speeding car? The more I thought about it, the more I realized how, in my younger years, I was extremely hesitant and unsure of every action. So I thought about the things that changed between that time and making the left turn. And I think I figured it out. Skateboarding.
I skateboarded for about five years. At first I was extremely timid and unsure of any trick I tried. I had what was called a "pussy foot" meaning that I would do the motions for a trick but wouldn't land them, one of my feet was always off the board. So over and over my little brother told me I had to commit. Eventually I did commit, well, to everything but kickflips. Later in life I took up mountain biking and had to adopt the same attitude. If you're going to do something, don't do it half way. You have to put yourself out there, give it a real effort, and don't turn back. As I learned, especially with mountain biking, you can hurt yourself a lot worse if you chicken out half way through.
Taking up these sports really changed my perspective on life. No matter what I do, no matter how stupid it is, I now commit 100%. It transfers to everything, work, love, family, recreation, and apparently, driving. Sometimes it's not the smartest way to live, but really, it works for me. Now if I want to say something, I stand up and commit 100%.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Food Poisoning
So Saturday morning at 3am I woke up and started vomiting. Between the hours of 3 and 6 I managed to lose 5 lbs by throwing up. I'm getting over it, feeling a lot better. But now I have a problem at night when I go to bed and have to work the next day I get this extreme fear that I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night and it's going to happen again. I think it's irrational, really. If I'm getting better I'm probably not going to suddenly get sick again. But I can't help it, I get so stressed about it that the indigestion comes back and I start to feel sick and worry about it, so I can't sleep. Here it is, 12:09 AM and I'm wide awake, full of anxiety worried that I am going to wake up and begin puking my guts out. What the hell do I do with this? I just have to focus on the positive. Tomorrow I start my management class at work, that's exciting. Tomorrow is Tuesday and I have Wednesday off. I go in late on Thursday. This weekend I don't have anything to do. Really, I'll be fine.
It felt really good to get that off my chest.
In other news. I thought I found a new job, but I really don't think it's right for me. And I'm taking the stand unless it's some knock out job that I am positive I will love, I'm not going to bother anymore. And I think I may go back to school and get a masters in occupational therapy. Really.
Although that just may be another failed lead. I'll never decide what to go to grad school for so I will continuously work jobs where I am out of place hoping that some day I will miraculously find an awesome job.
Blogging really relaxes me, I haven't given this link out to anyone so it's nice to just vent. And if someone I don't know happens to read it, I'm ok with that. I'm really not writing to anyone in particular. Just writing to relieve stress.
I didn't work out today because I was still feeling under the weather, and now my body is very very angry and repaying me with restlessness. I'm actually starting to get tired.. Good night!
It felt really good to get that off my chest.
In other news. I thought I found a new job, but I really don't think it's right for me. And I'm taking the stand unless it's some knock out job that I am positive I will love, I'm not going to bother anymore. And I think I may go back to school and get a masters in occupational therapy. Really.
Although that just may be another failed lead. I'll never decide what to go to grad school for so I will continuously work jobs where I am out of place hoping that some day I will miraculously find an awesome job.
Blogging really relaxes me, I haven't given this link out to anyone so it's nice to just vent. And if someone I don't know happens to read it, I'm ok with that. I'm really not writing to anyone in particular. Just writing to relieve stress.
I didn't work out today because I was still feeling under the weather, and now my body is very very angry and repaying me with restlessness. I'm actually starting to get tired.. Good night!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Health
So I am trying to be healthier. I am going to do more low impact exercises, instead of running, watch my carbs, dress appropriately for the weather, and keep up on my fruit eating.
After hearing from a second doctor that I should not be running I took it to heart. I did my final run tonight. Starting tomorrow it is going to be mostly low impact with only one run a week max. I suppose after a torn meniscus, current arthritis, and a disorder where running can make my knee cap slide off to the side, I should probably heed the doctors' warnings. I love bicycling, but it's hard to find the time. But I may be getting a new job soon so I will have a lot more of it.
I have been watching my carbs for a couple days and already lost a couple of pounds, what the hell was I eating before? I do need to lose weight, I'm not nearly as small as I used to be (thank you office job). I'm on the right path, I just hope I can stay on it again. At least I'm not as big as I once was (high school was miserable) but still, I could stand to loose some weight. Maybe if I go public with it, I will have more success.
So I had an instance of dressing inappropriately for the weather. I went running with a t-shirt and shorts and the wind chill was 28 degrees. I ended up having to stay home from work with a terrible sore throat (can't really work if I can't talk), and the doctor said I had a sinus infection. The silver lining to going on an attendance warning at work due to going to the doctor (bullshit, I know), is that I found out I had asthma, so now this weird cough I've had all my life is going away and I can actually take a deep breathe. Wow.
I love fruit, I just don't buy enough of it. End of story.
I'm really excited about getting healthier. I need to make smart choices, I don't want to end up being forty, unable to work, having diabetes, and being really overweight. It's just hard to think about the long run right now. But I know I can do it, I'm already ahead of where I was, I just need to keep it up and get back on track.
In other news
I may have found a new job, I'm really excited, I am going to be a real insurance agent, not just a sit behind a phone insurance agent. So that's exciting, but also nerve racking as I will be facing a lot of new challenges. Especially working by myself. But I think I can handle it, and I think it's definitely a step in the right direction for my career.
My fiancee and I got new furniture Tuesday. It's our first big step into adulthood. I'm pretty excited. It's also comfortable, maybe I will sleep on it. If I can sleep at all. I'm just so excited about what life has in store for me.
I am going to have a long day tomorrow.
After hearing from a second doctor that I should not be running I took it to heart. I did my final run tonight. Starting tomorrow it is going to be mostly low impact with only one run a week max. I suppose after a torn meniscus, current arthritis, and a disorder where running can make my knee cap slide off to the side, I should probably heed the doctors' warnings. I love bicycling, but it's hard to find the time. But I may be getting a new job soon so I will have a lot more of it.
I have been watching my carbs for a couple days and already lost a couple of pounds, what the hell was I eating before? I do need to lose weight, I'm not nearly as small as I used to be (thank you office job). I'm on the right path, I just hope I can stay on it again. At least I'm not as big as I once was (high school was miserable) but still, I could stand to loose some weight. Maybe if I go public with it, I will have more success.
So I had an instance of dressing inappropriately for the weather. I went running with a t-shirt and shorts and the wind chill was 28 degrees. I ended up having to stay home from work with a terrible sore throat (can't really work if I can't talk), and the doctor said I had a sinus infection. The silver lining to going on an attendance warning at work due to going to the doctor (bullshit, I know), is that I found out I had asthma, so now this weird cough I've had all my life is going away and I can actually take a deep breathe. Wow.
I love fruit, I just don't buy enough of it. End of story.
I'm really excited about getting healthier. I need to make smart choices, I don't want to end up being forty, unable to work, having diabetes, and being really overweight. It's just hard to think about the long run right now. But I know I can do it, I'm already ahead of where I was, I just need to keep it up and get back on track.
In other news
I may have found a new job, I'm really excited, I am going to be a real insurance agent, not just a sit behind a phone insurance agent. So that's exciting, but also nerve racking as I will be facing a lot of new challenges. Especially working by myself. But I think I can handle it, and I think it's definitely a step in the right direction for my career.
My fiancee and I got new furniture Tuesday. It's our first big step into adulthood. I'm pretty excited. It's also comfortable, maybe I will sleep on it. If I can sleep at all. I'm just so excited about what life has in store for me.
I am going to have a long day tomorrow.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Things that I find extremely enjoyable
So I was thinking about all the bitching I do, and decided to think of things I have really enjoyed as of late, here is a list of some of those things. Now you should make a list so you can appreciate life a little bit more.
1. Sunny Day Real Estate. If you have never listened to Sunny Day Real Estate I highly recommend it. I often find myself putting one of their CDs into my CD Player in my car and leaving it there for about a week. The vocals are amazing, I love the intricate guitar riffs, they have great basslines. It really makes me wish I was in a band again so I could try and create something half as amazing. And each CD is like listening to a whole new band. I think The Rising Tide is the CD I play the most, but I put in Diary today and my boyfriend asked who I was listening to (He was surprised to learn it was the same band that released The Rising Tide).
2. Running. A lot. So about a year and a half ago I was told that I had osteoarthritis and some weird disorder where the rest of my leg was stronger than my quad and my knee cap was sliding off. So I took a year and a half off, but I really really missed running so one day on a whim I decided to go. I've been running a lot, for about a month now and my knee feels better than the entire time that I wasn't running. I don't know if this is something that is going to come back to bite me, but I've done a lot of research and there are a lot of people with a shared experience. Nothing really beats running. I love bicycling, but I enjoy it when the weather's perfect or I'm on some sweet mountain bike trails, but I like long rides and it's not really practical for it to be my exercise of choice as I work full time.
3. Speaking of bicycling, I really enjoy mountain biking. I know, I live in Iowa, we don't have mountains, but there are some sweet trails in the midwest. In my youth I was quite the adrenaline junkie (I skateboarded for 5 years, a lot of vert, and did a lot of really really stupid things). But when my body really couldn't take skateboarding I discovered mountain biking. Not only do you get to be out in nature but you get an amazing rush. Not a lot compares to looking over the edge of a hill you're about to go down, or wondering how you are going to make it through a muddy trail with a lot of tree branches down. I love it, I dream about it. Really. It is truly an amazing experience.
4. The Toyota Yaris. Not to sound like a blogging advertisement, but I bought one of these. I was skeptical at first, as it was the most inexpensive car in the Toyota line. I drive around forty miles a day, and I have seriously saved so much money. It's rated at 36 mpg, but even in mixed driving I get closer to 40. And it does well in the snow (which is especially important after this last winter) Prior to this car I drove a giant Chrysler Sebring, it looked cooler, but ate gas and it was the worst car I have ever driven in the snow. As soon as you touched the brake the car just slid and went wherever it wanted. I would spin out on flat in an inch of snow. I got stuck on a two foot incline with about an inch of snow. It really sucked. So yeah, the Toyota is fun, and it was really affordable. And don't worry, I got the four door one, it's slightly less weird looking than the liftback.
5. Waking up early. I really enjoy waking up early and going running, cooking a big breakfast, or running errands. It makes me feel so much better about my day. I love waking up in the early morning and going outside because the air is so cool, crisp, and fresh. I love going to the grocery store early in the morning because it is so quiet. I just wish I could fall asleep easier so I would wake up earlier.
6. Ubuntu. I have had an interest in Linux since middle school. My first experience though, was not a good one, I had an older version of Mandrake and partitioned my computer. It was rather cryptic. Today I dual boot with Ubuntu and.. unfortunately, Vista. Using Ubuntu has really made me think about how inefficient Windows is. Things load so much quicker now and I really don't have any problems with freezing. The only downfall is some things aren't compatible. About the only time I load Windows is to use Rhapsody. I definitely recommend Linux, the best part about Ubuntu is that it's all open source and completely free. I use open office which is compatible with Microsoft Office and it was free. My operating System was free, my photo editing program was free, it's amazing.
7. Grilling. Lately my boyfriend and I have discovered the joy of grilling. All we have is this tiny Weber that sits low to the ground, but we've had so much fun. It's so fun to sit on the back patio and grill food. And it tastes great. There's really not much more to say about it.
8. Dogs. Dogs may be one of the coolest animals in existence. Dogs are great, they all have different personalities and different interests. My parents have a fox terrier, it's the coolest dog I have ever met. He's so smart, he behaves extremely well, and he really understands me (I swear). When I go home, he's my running buddy, we have so much fun, and he behaves himself and doesn't stop at all. He's so energetic, he loves car rides, pretending stuffed animals are alive, and lounging on top of the couch. Oh, and he loves being cuddled. And it's amazing because when we got the dog he had been badly abused and wouldn't even let you pet his head.
9. Mp3 Players. Twelve years ago, if you told me that I could have something super tiny that would hold all my music, I would think you were nuts. But it's so amazing, they're so tiny and hold so much music. My car has an mp3 player jack and now I don't have to carry around a ton of CDs. And I use Rhapsody, which is like 14.99 a month for unlimited music on my mp3 player.
So I'm getting tired of the long explanations, if you've made it this far, you probably think I'm super lame. But if I still have any of your attention, here is a list of other random things that make me happy, word finds, canvas grocery bags, spring jackets, pointy toed shoes, new balance shoes, laptops, biking/running trails, random animals in my yard, brightly painted houses, buses, home made blankets, paintings, charcoal and paper, photography, walking, sending/receiving cards, furniture, my bed, and of course, my boyfriend :).
1. Sunny Day Real Estate. If you have never listened to Sunny Day Real Estate I highly recommend it. I often find myself putting one of their CDs into my CD Player in my car and leaving it there for about a week. The vocals are amazing, I love the intricate guitar riffs, they have great basslines. It really makes me wish I was in a band again so I could try and create something half as amazing. And each CD is like listening to a whole new band. I think The Rising Tide is the CD I play the most, but I put in Diary today and my boyfriend asked who I was listening to (He was surprised to learn it was the same band that released The Rising Tide).
2. Running. A lot. So about a year and a half ago I was told that I had osteoarthritis and some weird disorder where the rest of my leg was stronger than my quad and my knee cap was sliding off. So I took a year and a half off, but I really really missed running so one day on a whim I decided to go. I've been running a lot, for about a month now and my knee feels better than the entire time that I wasn't running. I don't know if this is something that is going to come back to bite me, but I've done a lot of research and there are a lot of people with a shared experience. Nothing really beats running. I love bicycling, but I enjoy it when the weather's perfect or I'm on some sweet mountain bike trails, but I like long rides and it's not really practical for it to be my exercise of choice as I work full time.
3. Speaking of bicycling, I really enjoy mountain biking. I know, I live in Iowa, we don't have mountains, but there are some sweet trails in the midwest. In my youth I was quite the adrenaline junkie (I skateboarded for 5 years, a lot of vert, and did a lot of really really stupid things). But when my body really couldn't take skateboarding I discovered mountain biking. Not only do you get to be out in nature but you get an amazing rush. Not a lot compares to looking over the edge of a hill you're about to go down, or wondering how you are going to make it through a muddy trail with a lot of tree branches down. I love it, I dream about it. Really. It is truly an amazing experience.
4. The Toyota Yaris. Not to sound like a blogging advertisement, but I bought one of these. I was skeptical at first, as it was the most inexpensive car in the Toyota line. I drive around forty miles a day, and I have seriously saved so much money. It's rated at 36 mpg, but even in mixed driving I get closer to 40. And it does well in the snow (which is especially important after this last winter) Prior to this car I drove a giant Chrysler Sebring, it looked cooler, but ate gas and it was the worst car I have ever driven in the snow. As soon as you touched the brake the car just slid and went wherever it wanted. I would spin out on flat in an inch of snow. I got stuck on a two foot incline with about an inch of snow. It really sucked. So yeah, the Toyota is fun, and it was really affordable. And don't worry, I got the four door one, it's slightly less weird looking than the liftback.
5. Waking up early. I really enjoy waking up early and going running, cooking a big breakfast, or running errands. It makes me feel so much better about my day. I love waking up in the early morning and going outside because the air is so cool, crisp, and fresh. I love going to the grocery store early in the morning because it is so quiet. I just wish I could fall asleep easier so I would wake up earlier.
6. Ubuntu. I have had an interest in Linux since middle school. My first experience though, was not a good one, I had an older version of Mandrake and partitioned my computer. It was rather cryptic. Today I dual boot with Ubuntu and.. unfortunately, Vista. Using Ubuntu has really made me think about how inefficient Windows is. Things load so much quicker now and I really don't have any problems with freezing. The only downfall is some things aren't compatible. About the only time I load Windows is to use Rhapsody. I definitely recommend Linux, the best part about Ubuntu is that it's all open source and completely free. I use open office which is compatible with Microsoft Office and it was free. My operating System was free, my photo editing program was free, it's amazing.
7. Grilling. Lately my boyfriend and I have discovered the joy of grilling. All we have is this tiny Weber that sits low to the ground, but we've had so much fun. It's so fun to sit on the back patio and grill food. And it tastes great. There's really not much more to say about it.
8. Dogs. Dogs may be one of the coolest animals in existence. Dogs are great, they all have different personalities and different interests. My parents have a fox terrier, it's the coolest dog I have ever met. He's so smart, he behaves extremely well, and he really understands me (I swear). When I go home, he's my running buddy, we have so much fun, and he behaves himself and doesn't stop at all. He's so energetic, he loves car rides, pretending stuffed animals are alive, and lounging on top of the couch. Oh, and he loves being cuddled. And it's amazing because when we got the dog he had been badly abused and wouldn't even let you pet his head.
9. Mp3 Players. Twelve years ago, if you told me that I could have something super tiny that would hold all my music, I would think you were nuts. But it's so amazing, they're so tiny and hold so much music. My car has an mp3 player jack and now I don't have to carry around a ton of CDs. And I use Rhapsody, which is like 14.99 a month for unlimited music on my mp3 player.
So I'm getting tired of the long explanations, if you've made it this far, you probably think I'm super lame. But if I still have any of your attention, here is a list of other random things that make me happy, word finds, canvas grocery bags, spring jackets, pointy toed shoes, new balance shoes, laptops, biking/running trails, random animals in my yard, brightly painted houses, buses, home made blankets, paintings, charcoal and paper, photography, walking, sending/receiving cards, furniture, my bed, and of course, my boyfriend :).
Friday, April 25, 2008
Finding Home
As I begin the transition from recent college graduate to young adulthood I often wonder where my eventual home will be. For now I am happy with where I am living, but I always have a desire to keep moving, trying to find something bigger and better than where I am now. It's hard to make an educated decision without having traveled much, or lived anywhere besides Iowa and Illinois.
When I was younger, Iowa City was just it, it was the epitome of cool. Seriously, I thought this was the greatest place that I had ever been to. Honestly, I hadn't traveled much. So I traveled to Colorado, suddenly Colorado was just it. I still do love Colorado, it would just cost so much and require so much work to move there. Since, I have been to many places and communities in Iowa, each city I go to fascinates me and I have this glorified image of myself living there. I even went so far as to apply for jobs in Dubuque. But honestly, I don't think it's so much where I'm living that makes me happy. I make myself happy, I think I just want to experience more.
Don't get me wrong, I still love Iowa City, but spending a lot of time here really has made me not think of it as being that cool. When I used to come up here I was always involved in the alternative/indie/punk music scene, that's the side of Iowa City I saw. And the vintage stores, boutiques, the ped mall. Now all I see is spoiled college students, a lack of parking, too much traffic, problems with crime, and stuff I can't really afford since I live here now. But when I think about it, really, it's going to be like this anywhere I go. I don't think I'll ever find a city that's just 'me'. I think I'll just go around visiting places thinking that I would fit in well there, and on the off chance I move, I would become just as irritated with the place as I have with Iowa City. All in all, I think Iowa City, and Iowa in general is a good place to settle and have a family, but right now I want to travel and live different places, I want to experience different areas. I would like to go overseas, live in at least three different states, and maybe one other country.
Now if I can just convince Matt to join me on my journey.
When I was younger, Iowa City was just it, it was the epitome of cool. Seriously, I thought this was the greatest place that I had ever been to. Honestly, I hadn't traveled much. So I traveled to Colorado, suddenly Colorado was just it. I still do love Colorado, it would just cost so much and require so much work to move there. Since, I have been to many places and communities in Iowa, each city I go to fascinates me and I have this glorified image of myself living there. I even went so far as to apply for jobs in Dubuque. But honestly, I don't think it's so much where I'm living that makes me happy. I make myself happy, I think I just want to experience more.
Don't get me wrong, I still love Iowa City, but spending a lot of time here really has made me not think of it as being that cool. When I used to come up here I was always involved in the alternative/indie/punk music scene, that's the side of Iowa City I saw. And the vintage stores, boutiques, the ped mall. Now all I see is spoiled college students, a lack of parking, too much traffic, problems with crime, and stuff I can't really afford since I live here now. But when I think about it, really, it's going to be like this anywhere I go. I don't think I'll ever find a city that's just 'me'. I think I'll just go around visiting places thinking that I would fit in well there, and on the off chance I move, I would become just as irritated with the place as I have with Iowa City. All in all, I think Iowa City, and Iowa in general is a good place to settle and have a family, but right now I want to travel and live different places, I want to experience different areas. I would like to go overseas, live in at least three different states, and maybe one other country.
Now if I can just convince Matt to join me on my journey.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Grocery Stores
I often go to the grocery store for lunch to pick something up because it is the closest source of food to my place of employment. There are many things that fascinate me about grocery stores, and just as many things that piss me off (most of which aren't really things the grocery store itself is accountable for)
The amount of food inside of a grocery store amazes me. Seriously. Think of all the work that goes into constantly stocking that much food. Not only that, but think of all the work in organizing, shelving, straightening, and displaying that food. Grocery stores are truly a piece of art. Next time you're there pay attention to things like the design of the displays, the signs, the graphics, the fact that all the cans are spaced evenly and faced the same way.
I love grocery stores that offer something different. I love shopping at our local co op. There are so many new things to try. The whole co op operation really amazes me. Seriously, I have a membership and any profit leftover at the end of the year gets returned back to me in accordance with how much I spent. That's pretty sweet. I also love organic produce, you can laugh at me, but seriously try it. Other things there amaze me, our co op has a bakery with what may be the best bread in the world, or maybe Iowa City :). It's just refreshing to go there. Minus the amount I have to pay for food.
I also go to a grocery store that is more of a full service grocery store, would you believe that they take your groceries to your car? Even if you have just three bags they offer to load them for you. It's so awesome, something that small really makes me consistently shop there over other large grocery stores.
As much as I love grocery stores, the warm fuzzy feeling isn't always there.
Mostly what I don't like about grocery stores is the patrons of the grocery store. I wish everyone else would see the grocery store as a modern marvel, but a lot of people seem to see it as an inconvenience, you can tell by looking at them that they loathe going to the grocery store. I'm not sure the exact correlation between the aforementioned attitude and being inconsiderate, but I think it's probably close to a .75.
I hate the awkwardness when someone has a cart in the middle of a narrow aisle, where there would still be room to have two carts go through, but they are blocking the whole thing. And then you say excuse me and they huff and puff while sliding their cart over.
Express Lanes. Seriously, 12 items, means 12 items. It doesn't mean take your entire cart of items to the express lane and let that poor checker try to ring up $100 in groceries with a handheld scanner. Be considerate to both the checker and the people behind you.
The parking lot. I bought a new car, I think it is a magnet for stray carts, doors and assholes who sideswipe you and take off. Really. And there are people everywhere. It wouldn't be bad, but the people are walking down the middle of the aisle and stare at you when you try to drive past them. And there's always the the person in the SUV who seems to feel that since they pay exorbitant amounts in gas prices and drive a vehicle capable of seating seven they have the right of way regardless. Even if you're a pedestrian in a cross walk, the mighty SUV should have the privilege of going in front of you. And what's to stop them? They're huge, they would crush my tiny Toyota. And if you're a pedestrian, why wouldn't you yield?
So seriously, next time you go to a grocery store really appreciate the fact that you can buy nearly any type of food there. I mean seriously, I bought this mix to make fat free brownies with yogurt, and hamburgers with blue cheese crumbled into them, what can't you find at a grocery store?
The amount of food inside of a grocery store amazes me. Seriously. Think of all the work that goes into constantly stocking that much food. Not only that, but think of all the work in organizing, shelving, straightening, and displaying that food. Grocery stores are truly a piece of art. Next time you're there pay attention to things like the design of the displays, the signs, the graphics, the fact that all the cans are spaced evenly and faced the same way.
I love grocery stores that offer something different. I love shopping at our local co op. There are so many new things to try. The whole co op operation really amazes me. Seriously, I have a membership and any profit leftover at the end of the year gets returned back to me in accordance with how much I spent. That's pretty sweet. I also love organic produce, you can laugh at me, but seriously try it. Other things there amaze me, our co op has a bakery with what may be the best bread in the world, or maybe Iowa City :). It's just refreshing to go there. Minus the amount I have to pay for food.
I also go to a grocery store that is more of a full service grocery store, would you believe that they take your groceries to your car? Even if you have just three bags they offer to load them for you. It's so awesome, something that small really makes me consistently shop there over other large grocery stores.
As much as I love grocery stores, the warm fuzzy feeling isn't always there.
Mostly what I don't like about grocery stores is the patrons of the grocery store. I wish everyone else would see the grocery store as a modern marvel, but a lot of people seem to see it as an inconvenience, you can tell by looking at them that they loathe going to the grocery store. I'm not sure the exact correlation between the aforementioned attitude and being inconsiderate, but I think it's probably close to a .75.
I hate the awkwardness when someone has a cart in the middle of a narrow aisle, where there would still be room to have two carts go through, but they are blocking the whole thing. And then you say excuse me and they huff and puff while sliding their cart over.
Express Lanes. Seriously, 12 items, means 12 items. It doesn't mean take your entire cart of items to the express lane and let that poor checker try to ring up $100 in groceries with a handheld scanner. Be considerate to both the checker and the people behind you.
The parking lot. I bought a new car, I think it is a magnet for stray carts, doors and assholes who sideswipe you and take off. Really. And there are people everywhere. It wouldn't be bad, but the people are walking down the middle of the aisle and stare at you when you try to drive past them. And there's always the the person in the SUV who seems to feel that since they pay exorbitant amounts in gas prices and drive a vehicle capable of seating seven they have the right of way regardless. Even if you're a pedestrian in a cross walk, the mighty SUV should have the privilege of going in front of you. And what's to stop them? They're huge, they would crush my tiny Toyota. And if you're a pedestrian, why wouldn't you yield?
So seriously, next time you go to a grocery store really appreciate the fact that you can buy nearly any type of food there. I mean seriously, I bought this mix to make fat free brownies with yogurt, and hamburgers with blue cheese crumbled into them, what can't you find at a grocery store?
Call Center Courtesy
I'm sure you hate calling centers as much as the people who work there hate being confined to an office chair, so here are some helpful tips to make it go a little bit smoother.
1. The verification process: Many companies have verification processes, complaining about it is just going to start your call off bad. Plus, do you really want anyone to be able to call in, give your account number and name and start making changes? Seriously?
2. How may I help you? Please think beforehand of what your request really is. Saying something vague is just going to confuse the other person. Also, if you're angry, for whatever reason, don't ever start the call off by yelling. That's just going to put the person on the other end of line on defense and they're not going to want to help you.
3. I want to help you, really: It is my experience (there are always exceptions) that the person on the other end truly does want to help you, it makes their job easier if they can get things done instead of mulling around and doing nothing with you on the line. But generally in call centers the call is mapped out, if they're asking a sequence of questions, let them ask them. Listen to the other person. Call centers are designed for efficiency, if you want to get off the phone quickly the best way is to let the other person direct the call. If you have questions it's fine to ask, but don't be upset if the other person tells you they will get to it in a moment.
4. Don't complain about things the person can't help: I really can't help you if you feel I'm asking too many questions. I didn't just come up with those questions, those are questions that I have to ask in order to ensure you get proper service. The best way to get your opinion heard is through filling out customer comment surveys, people really do pay attention to those, so much so it's part of how my performance is monitored. If you tell the person you're talking to about your concerns, chances are there's really nothing they can do, nor will they pass your comment along. If you feel the process is long and drawn out, chances are they do too, complaining about it isn't going to help you get things done.
5. Don't assume anything about the other person's intelligence: I work in a call center, I got my bachelor's degree in three years. The person sitting next to me at work has a PhD. Out of all 9 people on my team everyone has had some college. Not only do we have post secondary education but we have had extensive training. People constantly treat us like idiots. I'm sure if I were face to face with you it wouldn't be that way.
Honestly, I know no one reads this, but in the event I ever pass this link onto someone, I'll take the time to get my feelings out there.
1. The verification process: Many companies have verification processes, complaining about it is just going to start your call off bad. Plus, do you really want anyone to be able to call in, give your account number and name and start making changes? Seriously?
2. How may I help you? Please think beforehand of what your request really is. Saying something vague is just going to confuse the other person. Also, if you're angry, for whatever reason, don't ever start the call off by yelling. That's just going to put the person on the other end of line on defense and they're not going to want to help you.
3. I want to help you, really: It is my experience (there are always exceptions) that the person on the other end truly does want to help you, it makes their job easier if they can get things done instead of mulling around and doing nothing with you on the line. But generally in call centers the call is mapped out, if they're asking a sequence of questions, let them ask them. Listen to the other person. Call centers are designed for efficiency, if you want to get off the phone quickly the best way is to let the other person direct the call. If you have questions it's fine to ask, but don't be upset if the other person tells you they will get to it in a moment.
4. Don't complain about things the person can't help: I really can't help you if you feel I'm asking too many questions. I didn't just come up with those questions, those are questions that I have to ask in order to ensure you get proper service. The best way to get your opinion heard is through filling out customer comment surveys, people really do pay attention to those, so much so it's part of how my performance is monitored. If you tell the person you're talking to about your concerns, chances are there's really nothing they can do, nor will they pass your comment along. If you feel the process is long and drawn out, chances are they do too, complaining about it isn't going to help you get things done.
5. Don't assume anything about the other person's intelligence: I work in a call center, I got my bachelor's degree in three years. The person sitting next to me at work has a PhD. Out of all 9 people on my team everyone has had some college. Not only do we have post secondary education but we have had extensive training. People constantly treat us like idiots. I'm sure if I were face to face with you it wouldn't be that way.
Honestly, I know no one reads this, but in the event I ever pass this link onto someone, I'll take the time to get my feelings out there.
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