I gave up Amazon Instant purchases for Lent. That means no "leisure" books, no instant movie rentals, no TV shows. And I was standing by that, reading books I never got around to finishing (or even starting) and I've been rewatching Smallville. And then I turned around and decided to pay for a Hulu Plus account. I didn't even think about my Amazon-ban. It follows the letter of the law, but maybe not the spirit. Although, in my defense, I was mostly thinking about books when I made it.
Tuesday, I woke up, took a shower, packed my bag for school and then decided "Screw it!" I was just way too drained to pull myself through a day at school. I invented an upset stomach and a headache and then hung out in bed, screwing around and watching Community on my newly "repaired" PS3.
Now there's a story! Monday night, I get home from a late night at Subway and click the button on my PS3 controller to turn on the system. I did something fiddly like empty my pockets and realized my system hadn't actually turned on. I walked over and realized it wasn't plugged in. The RedBox DVD I had noticed downstairs came to mind and I grumbled a bit as I threaded the power cord back and plugged it in ("Why didn't they take the PS2. That wasn't plugged in. If they're going to use my stuff, plug it in again when you're done..."). I turned it on and realized it wasn't connected to the TV either. I ran around looking for the cord, even pulling my mom awake from the brink of sleep before I found it still plugged in to the TV. I hooked it up and sat back and watched nothing happen. I tried it on both TVs, turned everything on and off repeatedly, checked the cords using my PS2 and eventually just sat back and cried. "My family just broke my $250 PlayStation for want of a $50 DVD player! They will pay for this! I saved for this thing for four months and it's barely a year old."
I pulled Jacob out of bed the next morning and made him fix it. He had hooked it up using an HDMI cable instead of the standard one and so we had to reset the output settings. I admit, I gave him a few earfuls about what was allowed in regards to my PlayStations.
I had breakfast with Ashley this morning. I was 20 minutes late because of the buses and Ashley was sending me text messages trying to guilt and threaten me. All it did was piss me off. I am always to first one there when we meet up and, more often than not, she's late. I am late one time because the traffic was bad and the bus running late and she's giving me a hard time? And then she was obviously upset because I wouldn't commit to a 2015 move to Alaska with her and then because I said that I would not room with her there. I tried to explain that I wouldn't room with 90% of my friends due to several bad experiences in the dorms, but she was quite obviously offended. This is why she has no other friends; she takes everything super personal.
I've been catching up on some of my shows: Castle, New Girl, Arrow, Beauty and the Beast.
Castle: Damn two-part episode! But good work at some foreshadowing.
New Girl: Finally, a "Big Kiss" that is actually treated as one! Thank you for dwelling on this event for the two following episodes. Because Jess and Nick kissing IS a big deal and not something that can just be swept under the rug (like Gus finding an engagement ring in Shawn's gameboy [Psych]).
Arrow: Probably the least notable of all the shows I caught up in.
Beauty and the Beast: Was it really necessary to introduce a "First Love" for Vincent? I feel like this relationship is complicated enough; adding in another love interest for the hero almost feels like a "filler" so far. While it does create a bit of development for Vincent and JT, I feel like the main purpose was the undermine the budding relationship between Cat and Vincent and there are so many other ways to do this without throwing an obviously doomed romantic possibility in the mix. I hate obviously doomed relationships.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Mystery and Movies
So, today, I got a free game. Yesterday, as I was cleaning out the car, I found a new-looking copy of Final Fantasy XIII-2 under the driver's seat and half under the carpet. "Weird" I thought, before going upstairs and making sure my copy was in my bedroom. But the more I asked around and thought about it, the stranger it got: no one I've given a ride to in the last year even owns a PS3 (trust me, I double checked), my family included and no one has any idea how the game ended up in the car. I've asked everyone in my family, all my friends, and even called up my brother in Wisconsin. It doesn't have an ugly "USED" price sticker on the case and somebody removed the shrink-wrap, but even the registration code, which has a tendency to fall out, is still in the case. Well, if no one else claims it soon, I'll take it and sell it.
Tonight, I watched The Haunting (1999) with my dad and local brother. The movie had me pretty tensed up until about halfway through. Then the house started to move and any fear I felt petered out to nothing. All the tension they'd built up disappeared with a few not-so-well-placed "hauntings." While not as clearly defined, it was not unlike the moment in Jaws when you finally get to see the shark, although, even in Jaws there's still some sort of pull to keep watching and a sort of fascinated horror. The Haunting hit a wall and lost interest halfway through, made for a second half that fluctuated between flat and just plain stupid. I will admit, the caretakers driving up and talking to a completely unresponsive Doc and Theo was a pretty good closing scene. Otherwise, "it had promise, but failed to deliver." Once I lost interest, I wiki-ed the book; I would have probably enjoyed the more loyal version from the 60s more.
That's the third time I've yawned in 5 minutes. I guess my body is telling me to put away the glowing object and go to bed.
Tonight, I watched The Haunting (1999) with my dad and local brother. The movie had me pretty tensed up until about halfway through. Then the house started to move and any fear I felt petered out to nothing. All the tension they'd built up disappeared with a few not-so-well-placed "hauntings." While not as clearly defined, it was not unlike the moment in Jaws when you finally get to see the shark, although, even in Jaws there's still some sort of pull to keep watching and a sort of fascinated horror. The Haunting hit a wall and lost interest halfway through, made for a second half that fluctuated between flat and just plain stupid. I will admit, the caretakers driving up and talking to a completely unresponsive Doc and Theo was a pretty good closing scene. Otherwise, "it had promise, but failed to deliver." Once I lost interest, I wiki-ed the book; I would have probably enjoyed the more loyal version from the 60s more.
That's the third time I've yawned in 5 minutes. I guess my body is telling me to put away the glowing object and go to bed.
Friday, February 15, 2013
I'm so busy, I need to sit down and write about it
Today, I'm using my Christmas present from "Santa": a cute black-and-white, green trimmed apron that proudly proclaims I am "Queen of Everything." And I have to say, I certainly feel like I might be today. Or, well, I did until I started pulling chocolate chip cookies out of the oven. I don't know what it is, but I have not been able to make a decent batch of those in the last year and a half, since I moved out here! I've been making good chocolate chip cookies by myself since I was in elementary school. And then everything else turns out okay, even the stuff that should be harder to get right. I know I have plenty of ginger snaps and oatmeal-cinnamon for the party, but my inability to make a good batch of chocolate chip frustrates me. Although, something I tried this time must have worked, they do look better than they have on previous attempts. And I'm sure (based on past experience) they'll taste fine...
I have a BBQ I'm going to out in Kaneohe tomorrow thrown by one of my friends at school. When I asked if there was anything I could bring, he started bragging about his rice so I decided to show him what I can really do. I think I went a little overboard. When making the oatmeal, I accidentally put in double the sugar required so I thought "Heck with it!" and made a double batch: all 70+ cookies of it. I forget how many more cookies I get out of a batch of dough when my mom's not here, eating it. (Not that I don't sample a little of the dough, but my mom's in a league of her own!) And then I made a batch of ginger snaps, which I knew made a lot of cookies, but decided to do anyway because I never did get around to making that second batch for my dad during Christmas. And while I love ginger snaps and oatmeal cinnamon, I thought I should have at least a few chocolate chips, since everybody likes chocolate chip cookies. 188 cookies and 2 and a half hours later, the counters are covered in cookies and drying dishes. No one'll be complaining that I left a mess in the kitchen today, just that there's no room for anything but sweets!
Other things I've been working on: re-learning how to make friendship bracelets. Lindsey and I are doing a booth at a rummage sale next month. It's a chance for us to try and sell our practice pieces that aren't as high a quality at a lower price then we'll be charging online and make a few bucks selling misc junk we have lying around (my mom, for one, wants us to successfully sell the extra microwave). Well, since it's at an elementary school, Lindsey thought a few friendship bracelets might help attract customers. There's really not much of a profit margin on them, but attracting customers is important. And since we should be able to have out Etsy store actually running by that time, any customer who stops at the booth for any reason, well, we have an opportunity to let them know about our online options as well. We might even make a few made-to-order while we're sitting there, if we can get a few orders. And then there's the opportunity to check out other people's booths, maybe find some more necklaces to dissect or beads to grab... talk to people who may be able to help us establish our business or find supplies or even inspire us with new ideas of things to make.
Unfortunately, as productive as I've been, I have a heck of a lot more to do and a busy weekend to squeeze it into! I work tonight, have a supply-run with Lindsey tomorrow morning, a BBQ tomorrow afternoon, church and work on Sunday, and work again on Monday. I have a car that needs to be cleaned inside and out by tomorrow morning, assignments in both history classes, a paper due Thursday, and a lot of reading for all my classes. I somehow feel like I haven't a prayer of pulling it off, yet I know I can, as long as I work hard, budget my time, and don't get distracted too often by shiny objects or the call of the internet (like I am right now...In my defense, I was eating lunch with one hand and typing with the other).
Update: The car's not perfect, but it'll do. I'll make sure I leave a note to wake up Jake tomorrow if Dad decides it's not good enough. He's at school right now and he's the one who parked in under a tree for two days to get covered in flowers and bird poop.
I have a BBQ I'm going to out in Kaneohe tomorrow thrown by one of my friends at school. When I asked if there was anything I could bring, he started bragging about his rice so I decided to show him what I can really do. I think I went a little overboard. When making the oatmeal, I accidentally put in double the sugar required so I thought "Heck with it!" and made a double batch: all 70+ cookies of it. I forget how many more cookies I get out of a batch of dough when my mom's not here, eating it. (Not that I don't sample a little of the dough, but my mom's in a league of her own!) And then I made a batch of ginger snaps, which I knew made a lot of cookies, but decided to do anyway because I never did get around to making that second batch for my dad during Christmas. And while I love ginger snaps and oatmeal cinnamon, I thought I should have at least a few chocolate chips, since everybody likes chocolate chip cookies. 188 cookies and 2 and a half hours later, the counters are covered in cookies and drying dishes. No one'll be complaining that I left a mess in the kitchen today, just that there's no room for anything but sweets!
Other things I've been working on: re-learning how to make friendship bracelets. Lindsey and I are doing a booth at a rummage sale next month. It's a chance for us to try and sell our practice pieces that aren't as high a quality at a lower price then we'll be charging online and make a few bucks selling misc junk we have lying around (my mom, for one, wants us to successfully sell the extra microwave). Well, since it's at an elementary school, Lindsey thought a few friendship bracelets might help attract customers. There's really not much of a profit margin on them, but attracting customers is important. And since we should be able to have out Etsy store actually running by that time, any customer who stops at the booth for any reason, well, we have an opportunity to let them know about our online options as well. We might even make a few made-to-order while we're sitting there, if we can get a few orders. And then there's the opportunity to check out other people's booths, maybe find some more necklaces to dissect or beads to grab... talk to people who may be able to help us establish our business or find supplies or even inspire us with new ideas of things to make.
Unfortunately, as productive as I've been, I have a heck of a lot more to do and a busy weekend to squeeze it into! I work tonight, have a supply-run with Lindsey tomorrow morning, a BBQ tomorrow afternoon, church and work on Sunday, and work again on Monday. I have a car that needs to be cleaned inside and out by tomorrow morning, assignments in both history classes, a paper due Thursday, and a lot of reading for all my classes. I somehow feel like I haven't a prayer of pulling it off, yet I know I can, as long as I work hard, budget my time, and don't get distracted too often by shiny objects or the call of the internet (like I am right now...In my defense, I was eating lunch with one hand and typing with the other).
Update: The car's not perfect, but it'll do. I'll make sure I leave a note to wake up Jake tomorrow if Dad decides it's not good enough. He's at school right now and he's the one who parked in under a tree for two days to get covered in flowers and bird poop.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Neverending Life
My crazy life has just gotten crazier! I just made another commitment. Let's look at the ones I already have:
School - I'm a full-time student, attending classes three days a week, 12 credit hours, all in upper level English and History (which means a lot of reading and papers). Furthermore, this also ties up hours three days a week just getting to and from school.
Work - Still working at Subway (about 20 hours a week) and as it's my last semester at school, I'm expected to find another job for the Spring, because heaven forbid I earn $8.50 after all the money spent on college tuition!
Social - Somehow, my circle of acquaintances and friends is growing. There are more chances to socialize and, to be honest, I do want to go out and have fun. The flip side of that is what I call "The Ashley Factor." If it starts popping up on my Wall that I've been doing this or that with Amy or Lindsey, I need to make sure I at least try to hang out with Ashley or I will be subjected to her sulking (although, in her defense, Amy can get a bit upset when I know more about Lindsey's life than she does). I love these girls, but any time you have multiple women in a group of some sort, there will be petty jealousies.
And now I'm adding Small Business Owner! What the heck was I thinking? It's an online business, selling homemade jewelry and the like with Lindsey. So I can let it take over as much or as little of my time as I want. And I'm very much enjoying it so far; I have excuses to play around with things I can call "Inventory" and crunch numbers to figure out the exact cost to make a bracelet and the profit margin after fees are removed. Had I known myself in high school the way I know myself now, I'd have a business degree right now, instead of most of an English degree (although I absolutely love English... and History. I guess I'm a woman of many interests). It's also nice to be able to sit down and watch an episode of Big Bang Theory and finish with a necklace to sell. Speaking of... I have one I made at school today that I need to put the finishing touches on and then I really do need to go to bed.
Ciao!
School - I'm a full-time student, attending classes three days a week, 12 credit hours, all in upper level English and History (which means a lot of reading and papers). Furthermore, this also ties up hours three days a week just getting to and from school.
Work - Still working at Subway (about 20 hours a week) and as it's my last semester at school, I'm expected to find another job for the Spring, because heaven forbid I earn $8.50 after all the money spent on college tuition!
Social - Somehow, my circle of acquaintances and friends is growing. There are more chances to socialize and, to be honest, I do want to go out and have fun. The flip side of that is what I call "The Ashley Factor." If it starts popping up on my Wall that I've been doing this or that with Amy or Lindsey, I need to make sure I at least try to hang out with Ashley or I will be subjected to her sulking (although, in her defense, Amy can get a bit upset when I know more about Lindsey's life than she does). I love these girls, but any time you have multiple women in a group of some sort, there will be petty jealousies.
And now I'm adding Small Business Owner! What the heck was I thinking? It's an online business, selling homemade jewelry and the like with Lindsey. So I can let it take over as much or as little of my time as I want. And I'm very much enjoying it so far; I have excuses to play around with things I can call "Inventory" and crunch numbers to figure out the exact cost to make a bracelet and the profit margin after fees are removed. Had I known myself in high school the way I know myself now, I'd have a business degree right now, instead of most of an English degree (although I absolutely love English... and History. I guess I'm a woman of many interests). It's also nice to be able to sit down and watch an episode of Big Bang Theory and finish with a necklace to sell. Speaking of... I have one I made at school today that I need to put the finishing touches on and then I really do need to go to bed.
Ciao!
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