Unlistlessly

I'm bored and not feeling at all ready for sleep, despite it being pretty late. And I have my first test of the semester tomorrow, in Intro to Personal Finance. So I thought I'd make a list of some things happening lately, or what I've noticed.

- My skin is freaking out lately! I don't know if it's the stress of being back in school or what. But it sucks.

- I really miss Robert.

- I already hate this semester. I enjoy some aspects of each class, but overall I'm just ready to GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE and get my BA.

- Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" is truly addicting.

- My laptop died! So I have a new one now, and I'm still getting used to it. Windows 7 has been a big adjustment, since I was only using XP before.

- Trying to go coffee-free, or at least drink much less of it. So far it's been a hit or miss.

- My 2010 goal to drink more water is going pretty well. I try to drink at least 50-64 oz. a day by carrying a large bottle around with me so I can refill it as needed. If the water is right there with me, I'm more willing to drink it than if I have to seek it out. So carrying it around regularly is helping.

- I've applied and interviewed for the Disney College Program in Orlando for the fall season. Now I'm just waiting on pins and needles to hear whether or not I've been accepted. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much in case they reject me.

- Working on a new layout for my blog. I'll probably switch to a template for awhile later in the week while I put something together.

- Thesis: Take Two is about to begin. I'm already nervous!

- My roommate and I have started working out again. We try to at least do a 20-minute Pilates workout three times a week. According to other people, it's already paying off for me! Rob said he was surprised at how different I looked after only two weeks of not seeing me. He said my body is definitely gaining more of a toned appearance, which is good!

I guess I need to get to sleep now. Wish me luck with my test tomorrow!

Justice khakis.

Ugh.  My favorite pair (okay let's be honest... my only pair) of khaki pants ripped beyond discretion.  I loved the way they fit and how comfortable they were.  So I'm on the hunt for some new khaki pants.  I have my eye on a pair that I remember from Old Navy, but I'm going to be looking around anyway.  A good pair of pants can be expensive, so I want to put some thought into the decision.

Leave it to me to overthink purchasing pants.

And the title obviously comes from the first episode of How I Met Your Mother.

Love to cook? So do I!

I don't know how you've spent the first days of the new year, but I've been knitting, watching episode upon episode of LOST (gotta refresh myself before the final season starts!), and looking up recipes online. I'm still a novice cook and I actually just got my first slow cooker for Christmas!  And I decided to write a quick blog about the website where I've found lots of great new recipes to try as I learn more about food and how to cook it.

If you enjoy searching for new recipes like I do, then you need to be using AllRecipes.com now!  It's such a great website because they do a lot more than just list recipes.  There are tons of reviews to read, often with great suggestions as to how you can improve or alter the original recipes if you want to try modifications or substitutions.  And sometimes other people just feel like preparing something differently and make great discoveries, so you can read their notes!

If you register with the site (it's free, although they do have some upgraded paid membership features that I don't use), then you can save your favorite recipes or those that you want to try later by putting them in your "recipe box."  It's a great way to keep things organized.  There is even a "shopping list" feature, but I haven't used that one yet.

All in all, it's a fantastic website that I highly recommend!  Enjoy!

Greetings, 2010.

When I started this entry yesterday afternoon, I thought I would write out a list of things I'd like to accomplish during the new year. Since it's now officially 2010 and this post has taken me way too long to write, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Anyway as to these goals, they're not listed by priority or anything, just as they come to me.

1. Find a new job. I've been unemployed for two years now while I focus on school. Now that my years as an undergrad are ending, I want to get back out there and find a good job for my early 20's. Which leads to the next goal...
2. Put together my resume. Sorry, my laptop doesn't do accent marks. Anyway, I need to sit down and build a good resume in the next couple of months. I didn't need one for either of my previous jobs so never really had to put it together.
3. Make a special purchase for myself. I don't know what in the world this will be yet. But I feel like since this is a big year for me, getting my BA and all, I should treat myself to something special. It won't be anything too extravagant like buying a new car or anything, and I'm sure that I'll know it when the opportunity arises. Maybe a small trip? A new laptop? Who knows! Although hopefully in the next couple of years I can save up enough money to go on The Anne Boleyn Experience if they continue offering it. Maybe 2011, if I'm lucky?
4. Knit my birthday/graduation blanket. I've already started looking at patterns to determine how I want this to look. It will definitely be a royal blue color and I've already got some yarn to get started whenever I find the right pattern.
5. Spend plenty of time by myself. This isn't a new idea in my life by any means. I'm one of those people who really appreciates time to themselves and enjoys it a lot. So it's basically just a goal to keep making time to just be alone and enjoy something on my own. One of my favorite ways to spend this time is in the cafe at Barnes & Noble reading magazines and having a snack.
6. Complain less. As covered in my last blog entry, I'm a very patient and optimistic person by nature. But I do tend to complain frequently about things that later seem very unimportant and definitely not worth the energy it takes to be upset over them. So I'm going to focus on not letting these things get to me and therefore not complain as much as I generally do. Hopefully this means that slightly larger problems won't stress me out as much or bring un-needed negativity into my life!
7. Drink more water. I almost never get as much water as I should, so I'm dehydrated most of the time.
8. Read more. This specifically applies to reading for fun more often. Most of the time my schoolwork makes me tired of reading so I never get to the other books that I want to enjoy. But I'm going to try and set aside more time to turn off the laptop and curl up with a book.
9. Graduate in May. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
10. Complete my senior thesis this semester. Again, self-explanatory.
11. Eat more vegetables. Yup.
12. Watch films from my Netflix queue more frequently. I'm not a very quick Netflix-er, and I need to get cracking! I hadn't anticipated keeping it after May, but who knows if I will. But there are so many films that I want to watch already that I'm going to try and use the service more often than I do. Often I'll get a DVD and keep it for way too long without realizing it. So I'll try to get new DVDs more often and send them back more quickly to get the most out of it. I definitely get my money's worth out of the "Watch Instantly" section, though.
13. Look people in the eyes more. I'm not a very confident person, and it's showing in my conversation skills (or lack of them). Lately I don't seem to make eye contact with anyone while talking with them, and I need to change this!
14. Generally gain more confidence. Stemmed off of #13.
15. Learn to crochet. I really love knitting, and crocheting looks like a fun craft to learn as well.
16. Continue setting realistic goals. There will definitely be more things I'd like to accomplish as the year stretches on.

Hope that everyone has a safe and fantastic new year in 2010!