Spring is here... finally...

It's T-shirt weather! Let's celebrate! No seriously, I'm wearing a T-shirt and flip-flops. It's been forever since I could do that without freezing the moment I step outside. I'm quite excited.

It would be even better if I wasn't sick. Yeah no fun at all. It's probably because I haven't been sleeping. But tonight I'm going to see the movie 300 with one of my friends and I'm really looking forward to it.

Hmm what else is happening... well spring break was allright, my family and I went to Duluth for a couple of days. We were going to stay at the Edgewater, that new waterpark over there, but when we got there we didn't get the room we were supposed to AND it was filthy and loud, even though they said we were in the quiet area. So we left and started calling hotels, but everything was booked that I called. So we decided maybe we'd just go home and try it again some other time, but my sister wanted to go to Canal Park for a little bit first. So we were driving and saw a hotel that I hadn't called, the Inn on Lake Superior. BEAUTIFUL!!! We got a room that had a king bed, two queen beds, and a sofa sleeper for like $120 a night. Best deal I've ever seen, but then again I probably looked really desperate by that point, so maybe the front desk receptionist took pity on me. And, that awesome rate wasn't all. There was a heated rooftop pool that's open year-round plus an indoor pool and whirlpool, they had a propane-fueled campfire every night to cook s'mores over, they had a free continental breakfast where you could make your own Belgian waffles or have eggs and sausage or biscuits and gravy, or cereal or oatmeal... you get the drift. It was pretty impressive! Yeah I don't ever remember staying in an upscale hotel like that, so I was like a country kid in NYC. And the second night we were there we got snow, like 4 inches in just a couple of hours, and the next day one of the hotel employees went around and brushed the snow off the cars in the parking lot. They've got room service pizza too... it was just great. Definitely a very relaxing couple of days, and I needed it!

My best friend had surgery on Thursday, I guess it was really rough for her but it went well, for the most part she said that the night was the worst part and I can believe it. But I was really worried, so I'm glad she made it through okay.

Anyway, it's almost time for class to start so I'm done now.

Spring break baby!

So I have a week off of school. And five days off of work. That makes me very happy! It's definitely time for a break from everything. So I get two days, today and tomorrow, to do absolutely nothing. Then on Wednesday my family and I are heading to Duluth and we're going to spend a couple of days at the new waterpark there, so I'm excited. It may not be 70 degrees there but it's a vacation nonetheless. And it doesn't involve getting on a plane. So yay Duluth!

My cats are sick. I didn't know cats could spread colds so easily, and I didn't know they could sneeze a dozen times in quick succession... when they are sitting on you and their nose is three inches from yours. But they are definitely very cuddly when they are sick, and that's a nice change. But I wish they would get better, I'm getting tired of being covered in cat snot every five minutes.

And the two feet of snow we got at my house during the last big storm? It's almost gone. A couple of fifty-degree days and we're looking at mud and bare ground. So weird. And speaking of weird, this changing daylight-savings shit is for the birds. I had to work yesterday and it was really hard to make myself get out of bed before the sun came up. But hey, no work for a week, that makes me happy.

I really don't have anything else to write about at the moment. Oh well, it's spring break. I'm allowed to be lazy.

Yep, I'm Falling Behind

Okay, it's really hard to keep this thing going. Lately I've had no inspiration to write, and I've been working on my new wiki, and doing stuff for all my other classes, and it's really overwhelming. So this poor blog is being put on the back burner, and it's a shame. But now that I've got 20 minutes before class I'm going to post something.

I have an egg and taped fingers. Those two things have nothing to do with each other, but that is the extent of my life right now. The taped fingers is because I punched a door frame, and we won't talk about what brought that on because I'm normally not a violent person, and it's embarrassing. But it is funny how people look at my hand and don't say anything. And then the egg, well my RA decided it would be great fun to do a floor activity. I hate floor activities. But anyway, we got put into groups of three, and each group has to take care of this hard-boiled egg for a week and get to know each other while doing so. Yippee. And today I'm stuck with this egg in my hoodie pocket. I hope I don't break it because that probably wouldn't go over so well. Just a guess. And then we can steal other groups' eggs if they are unsupervised, and I really wouldn't want to be responsible for that either. So I'm stuck with this egg, and so far nobody has asked me what's in my pocket. Maybe it's not as noticeable as I feel it is.

I also just found out my best friend from home has to have surgery. She's got this enormous cyst on her ovary, and they are gonna take the whole ovary. It's pretty scary, and I feel so bad for her but I'm clueless as to what I can do to help. Maybe I'll go back home for a night and spend some time with her. Maybe she'd like that. I don't know. I think I'd feel better at least.

Anyway, I think I really should head to class, grab some food so my stomach isn't growling in the middle of our workshop because that's embarrassing and people laugh at me, and get a good seat that isn't right in front of the professor's desk because then she expects me to contribute to the discussion. I hate that. I'll talk when I feel like it. So I sit off in the corner. Okay, I'm rambling now. I'll stop.

I'm moving away from MN!

Okay, I'm not really moving. But I wish I was. We got ten inches of snow in two days at my house. Most of it came in the span of a few hours. And guess where I was in the middle of it all? Sitting on the side of this desolate country two-lane road that I have to drive in order to get home from work, with a flat tire. I drove over something, still no idea what it was, on my way home from work. No spare, just a donut tire, and no jack or tire iron to change the tire anyway. This was at like 6:30pm on Saturday. You know how many auto shops are open at that time, in the middle of nowhere? None, that's how many. So I called AAA. It took them an hour to call the towing company nearby and call me back. Then another half an hour for the guy to get there with the tow truck. So I sat there for an hour and a half in my car in tthe middle of a huge-ass snowstorm, with very little visibility and just my hazard lights to warn people I was there. Then after I got the car towed to the nearest auto shop, I finally had some good luck. The man who owns the auto shop lives above it in an apartment. He saw us pull up and unload the car, so he came down and offered to change the tire for me right then, and I could just stop by the next day and pay him. Yay. So he fixed it and I got home, at like 10 pm. And when I stopped the next day to pay for the tire change, I just had to pay for the tire, not the labor. It was neat. But grr, what a day.

Just a little too late

Okay, so now it's snowing. It's the end of February. Why is it snowing now when we haven't gotten more than a couple of inches all winter? So now I have to drive in snow. Maybe I won't go to my media writing class. We'll see, I need to talk to that professor cuz I haven't gone to that class in awhile now. I'm so lazy. And I need to pack up for the weekend still. I should have done it yesterday instead of going to the Rec. But at the same time I totally need to get in shape, and I'm doing really good with that idea. I've been going to the Rec for like 45 minutes to an hour each day, nothing too hard-core but at least I'm getting active instead of sitting in my room. But now the whole school thing is sliding. Not that I'm so sure I belong here anyway, classes are pretty boring for the most part. The only one I'm really learning in is my blogs and wikis class (because I've never done anything with either blogs or wikis before, so duh I'm learning and thats good) and the rest of the classes are mostly just busy work. I'm not learning. Maybe I'm not just putting enough effort into it. You get what you put in, right? I don't know. Anyway, class is about to start and Morgan always knows when I'm typing while he's talking, maybe I type too loud. Okay I'm done now.

SUCH a slacker...

I really should start doing my homework. We're already supposed to know what we want to do for our projects, and have a project proposal done by Saturday. I have barely touched the wiki and I'm slacking on this blog thing too. Yikes. Maybe I'm just too busy for this. Or too lazy. Who knows?

I think that today was the worst day I've ever had at work. I made a complete ass of myself. And it's a very long story but here goes.

Today everyone was just getting on my nerves. Yesterday there was an incident with my ex-roommate and it just had me very frustrated. I won't go into detail about that, though, because it's really dumb and I'm still pissed about it. So anyway, 4 pm rolled around today, suppertime, and I went to the main kitchen to get my food. Turns out, I was supposed to prepare the whole meal myself. I've been working there almost two years, you would think that something like that wouldn't slip my mind. And being angry and frustrated about my outside life is no excuse. So my poor residents had to eat hotdogs and fried potatoes instead of the regular meal because I had no time to prepare the regular meal, and they had to wait fifteen minutes for that. So then I had to stay an extra half hour to do the cleanup. Yuck, what a day...

And I just decided, the story seems much more embarrassing when I tell it out loud. I'll have to work on that, I'll get back to you.

La La La... Love Is In The Air....

I just felt like singing, I'll stop that now. As I'm sure nobody is able to forget, today is February 14th, so I'm gonna say...

Happy Valentine's Day to...
Those pathetic saps who find it romantic...
The masses who think it's dumb but end up with $100 or more in merchandise anyway...
Those people who will dress in black in protest, or because they like the color, or whatever...
The unlucky folks who must celebrate a birthday in the midst of hearts and candy and flowers...
Those ones who don't give a damn about the day either way, but can't escape the madness!

So there is my tribute to this overcommercialized, corny holiday... Isn't it just beautiful??

Who would have guessed?

The Anna Nicole Smith autopsy was inconclusive but they say there was no evidence of drug use or foul play. It will probably be weeks before they actually know what killed her. The woman is a media spectacle even after she's dead. Amazing.

So I'm very glad I don't have to work till next Saturday. One of my residents threw a fit about a piece of pie, and the fight culminated in her calling me a pig and throwing the pie and the plate across the table and hitting one of my other residents in the arm, causing a skin tear. Yikes. We can't discipline them for behavior like that, we can't even yell at them. If we do, we can lose our jobs. So all we can do is remove the woman from the room (kicking and screaming I might add) and patch up the other woman's skin. Grr. If she was my kid, she would get a hand on her behind. Resident rights.... suck.

What a long day...

I am so ready to quit my job at this moment. I can't wait until the weather gets better so my residents have a reason to be happier again. I hate being yelled at about the food. I didn't make the damned menu's, I just prepare the food and serve it to them. It's not my fault they don't like ham and bean stew. If I made the menu's, you know what they'd eat every day? Meat, and potatoes and gravy, and some kind of veggie, and cookies and cake. Not because it's easy. Because it's what they eat. They don't like soups, or funky dishes. They like what they lived on all their lives. So for most of them they want eggs and toast, or maybe oatmeal, in the morning, then meat and potatoes at both meals. And cookies and cake. Heaven forbid if you run out of cookies. I did today, and even though I had the gooiest caramel rolls fresh out of the oven everyone wanted a damn cookie. I ended up making a batch of cookies fifteen minutes before my shift was over. Grr. But at least I got to eat one. That made the whole ordeal worth it. Mmm, I love chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. Pure heaven.

What is that noise? Oh, it's coming from my headphones... cool...

I just love music, so when I hit the "next blog" button and had it blaring from my headphones, I just knew that this just had to be my final blog to post on, since I could keep the page up and have entertainment!

No seriously, it's a nifty looking blog. Throw The Fight is a band I've never heard of, but this ties in really well with our class discussion today and Wednesday. This is basically just a blog, with notes about the band's shows and new website developments. There are some links, but they are concerned with the band and not the outside world so much. Also, the postings are pretty short and lack that more grounded, focused criteria of a notebook.

Definitely, this site is for reputation building. Of course there's some info sharing, but very little self-expression except through the design of the template, and I think that's more of a collective, possibly agent-handled effort, but it's hard to say since I don't know how big this band is. They're big enough to be on Warped Tour, which my musically-hip sister tells me is a pretty big show. But anyway, that's off topic just a bit.

The style of this blog is different from most I've looked at. For starters, the beforementioned music is something I want to learn how to do, it's a great way to catch someone who's just browsing through blogs. Also, because of the way the template is set up, white text on a dark-red background, it is a bit hard to read but the postings are short so it's not such a big issue, like it would be with longer posts. Also on the sidebar is a "now-playing" feature that tells you what song is being blasted out of the speakers, and you can also play/pause/skip songs.

While the content is band-focused, it's not strictly music-related. While the posts mostly concern upcoming and past shows, there are a couple of postings that focus on award nominations, sort of a thanks-for-all-your-support type of thing. This ties back to the reputation building aspect of the blog. Other bands are very rarely mentioned, except when this band is performing a show with them, so there is no trash-talking.

The sidebar includes a calendar of events and an archive of older posts, along with ways to get on the band's mailing list and receive wireless alerts on a mobile phone. The title section provides links for other sites that the band is involved in, such as their MySpace page, and links to photos, videos, bios, and the like. One disadvantage I saw to the way their calendar was set up was that only the date and venue names, not the town the venues are in, is listed on the main page. One must click on the date and venue to see where it's located.

I do have to say this was my favorite blog of the three I blogged about, but that might just be the subject matter...

Oh, the organic life...

Here goes my second endeavor in the BloggingBlogs exercise. I found this blog, Vegetarian Organic Life by going to the "blogs of note" link on Blogger, since I was not having any luck finding anything through Google's blogsearch.

The blog is part of a bigger website completely focused on a way of life. The blog is the website developer's way of informing and/or ranting. Unlike most blogs, this one does not feature a sidebar of any kind. Instead, the purpose of the blog is basically in the URL; there is no blogroll or even an archive of previous blogs. You have to scroll down to find blog posts. The template is very basic, black-on-white text with images for each post.

This is definitely a filter. There are links in almost every post, and the writer mostly comments on the links, rather than on her life. The writer's opinion is very strong in a lot of her commentary, and even when she doesn't explicitly state how she feels about something she's posting, the opinion is still there. The topics she posts links to range from causes of obesity to the products chefs endorse to "greenwashing".

One could classify this as a pundit blog because the writer is seemingly an expert in her subject matter. It looks like she takes time to search for resources that are strong and credible, while fitting her opinions or giving her fuel for her rants against the exploitation of junk food and unhealthy lifestyles.

I think this blog is written both for an audience and for the writer. While the writer is finding and commenting on links, she is looking for her topics for herself, not so much for her audience (though the audience is important as well). One clue I had to this for-the-writer mindset is the lack of a blogroll that I mentioned earlier. Also, while there are one or two comments, sometimes three, on many of the postings, there does not seem to be a huge audience that she is writing for. Then again, there isn't a place to see how many views the blog has had, at least not that I could find, so it's hard to say how much readership it actually gets. Either way, I'm thinking that isn't the main focus for this, even with the filter setup. It's like a journal made of links.

The main goal of this blog seems to be to help build reputation, since it is part of a website and its focus is so strong. Self-expression shows in some of the commentary, as well as information sharing via links. So I guess you could say it's a mix of all three elements, with emphasis on reputation and info.

Blogging Blogs #1.. so original... why can't I be clever?!

Here is the link to the first blog I'm going to give deep, profound insight on.

Awful Announcers has been a blog since sometime in 2006. I found it by searching on blogsearch.google.com in hopes of finding a neat sports blog. This isn't quite what I'd planned on finding, but it's definitely intersting.

This site is, as quoted from the sidebar, "a sanctuary for those frustrated or fed up with awful announcers..." and it seems to focus on the commentators for sporting events, and the author's opinion of them. For the most part it is quite derogatory, but entertaining in the way it's written. I think that the blog does a good job of fulfilling its stated purpose.

I would have to say this blog is a combination of all three types specified by Blood. It contains plenty of the author's opinion, some short entries but quite a few longer, more focused pieces (a la notebook), and links to everything under the sun concerning sportcasters (from videos to articles to bios of the people he is dissing). I guess, though, if I had to categorize this into only one category, it would be a filter (but of course that is a very loose categorization).

As far as trying to choose a genre, I would put this somewhere between a sports blog, pundit blog, and hobby blog. The author is using this blog for self-expression and is building a reputation by giving his comments on the various sportscasters and the events they cover. The blog focuses completely on sports and sportcasting, which explains the "sports blog" and even the "hobby blog" categories. The author could also be viewed as an expert on the topic he is blogging about, since he gives a wealth of information and strong opinion. Even if he doesn't know what he's talking about, the tone of the blog makes the readers (or at least me) think he does.

This blog is definitely not a blog just for the writer. He is searching for, and from the comments I read, he is finding that audience. He's also using the blog for himself, but that is basically as a way to draw the audience. Even with the obvious, intentional slant, this blog would appeal to a wide audience since so many of us have seen a bumbled sportscast and we love to make fun of people, and read about people making fun of people. The writer keeps a humorous voice throughout his posts, mainly because he's writing to entertain, with less emphasis on information. He lets his videos and links provide the information; he provides his feedback.

As far as style, this is pretty clean-cut and easy to read, and for the most part images and videos are placed to catch the eye without distracting the reading in the middle of an idea, like I've seen on many blogs. The template is your basic black-text-on-white-background, and it's written in standard font. There are no startling color contrasts so it's easy on the eyes to stay at the page for large periods of time.

On the sidebar, it took me quite awhile to find the blogger's "other fun stuff" section, which is basically just a way of finding one's topics of interest quickly in all the posts by searching for keywords, or labels. His blogroll is extensive and features many sports fans.

Okay, on to blog #2...

Playboy bunnies

So sad to hear about Anna Nicole Smith. Usually I don't follow stuff like this, but damn she was young! I heard they are going to do an autopsy today sometime, so then the world can know what really killed her... yippee.

Okay, I'm done with that now.

It only takes two to tango!

So, I just decided I'm in the middle of a triangle. Not even one of the points on the triangle, but smack-dab in the middle. And all three of those points want me to choose between them. I started thinking about this, and here's what I've concluded. One of those points is the ex-boyfriend who thought it would be funny to get me drunk--forget about him. So that narrows it down to two points, and that's where it gets tough. Both of them are great guys that I really think I would be happy with, I can talk to either of them for hours and not get sick of either one's company...

So the question I'm dealing with now is, how does one make such a choice? I have no idea. I guess I've never really been in this situation before and it's quite frustrating, I must say. And then there's just a ton of pressure from all angles since we all know what's coming up next week. That leads to question number two, how does one make everyone happy or else decide who isn't quite as important to keep happy? I have four, count em, four invitations to hang out on Valentine's Day. What's the big deal?

Honestly, I hate the holiday and I wish it didn't exist, and it has nothing to do with being single or anything. I just think it's a dumb excuse for companies to make cheesy-romantic products to sell to cheesy-romantic people who actually think that giving a cheesy-romantic gift for Valentine's Day is the perfect idea, and a dumb excuse to put pressure on couples and not-quite-couples. The way I see it, forcing someone to be romantic just doesn't work. Romance should happen 365 days out of the year, not just one, and it shouldn't have to be prompted by a holiday which makes it expected.

I'm a bit off track here. So here's my list: Rick (point #1) wants to hang out, go to dinner and a movie or something. Chris (point #2) wants to know if I have plans but won't tell me why he's asking. Mike (the ex) says he doesn't know if he's coming over here but he doesn't want me to make plans with anyone else. Liz (old roomie) wants to have a movie night. And Val wants to go bowling. Wait, that's five invites. Oh boy.

Maybe I'll just tell em all to hang out with each other and hide in my room all night.

Good Cops

I've been meaning to post this link for a few days now but I never seem to remember... see, there are still some good cops out there! But that probably means the guy wouldn't let anything go... is that a good thing or a bad thing?

In my case that would not be a good thing... I have a little habit of driving just a bit over posted speed limits...

So now I'm posting from the mac lab in the superlab during my media writing class, shame on me but it's so boring... and hey, it's a change of scenery right?

Ah, and I know we're not really supposed to combine topics in posts but I just found this and I really have to link this one too! Pep talks, who would have thought that it could get you fired?? Back when I was in high school basketball my coach said stuff like this all the time but I guess he never actually went this far... and also it was a girls team, we didn't really have male genetalia to check...

Minnesota Lingerie Just isnt Doing it Anymore

-35 at my house this morning when I left for Bemidji. Yesterday I almost didn't make it to work because my car wouldn't start, and it was only -28 that night. So I stayed up all night last night and started the damn thing every couple of hours. What a waste of gas. I want a garage or a plug-in that works. Is that so much to ask?

Then I had to actually load up the car and leave at 7am. Even with the car running off and on all night it still took forever for the car to warm up. I was probably 30 miles from home before it was comfortable enough inside to take off my glove. Yep, one glove, just so I could hit the buttons on the radio without hitting three at a time. Then back on with the glove.

I've decided this isn't the way winter should be. I can handle this bitter cold, but there's no snow to make it worth it. Three inches doesn't do much. That causes pipes and sewers to freeze when it gets so cold. Thank god I live in the dorms so no worries about that. My brother's pipes froze and he frostbit his fingers trying to thaw them out. Our pipes tried to freeze at my house this weekend, not good.

The tunnel system here is really crowded. Yeah, I know, duh. I hate the tunnels, they are really spooky. But I hate frozen skin even more. So I choose the lesser of the two evils. I think I live in the wrong part of the country. In Arizona right now it's an even 50 degrees. Road trip anyone?

On time but still late

So I finally made it to class on time, even a few minutes early. I started to comment on Mallory's and Jess's and KT Ace's blogs last night, and it was some pretty profound stuff but my computer ate it. So now that I'm doing this after its due date I guess I'll just sum up what I was saying. Mallory's blog is a ramble about her life with some links thrown in, but they are links concerning what's happening in her life, not really the outside world. Jess's blog is just what it says, organized chaos. She's talking about many different topics but they are all separated into different entries which is neat. KT Ace's blog is also pretty piece-y but similar in organization to Jess's blog. The knowledge of audience is apparent in all three blogs, which is really neat.

Not cool... not cool at all...

I just lost everything I typed. I have no idea how it happened, it's just gone. I'm going to give this thing a rest for now, and come back when I'm not quite so pissed off I think. Maybe after the superbowl is over...

So far Behind it's not even funny

I just finally figured out that I'm supposed to have posted my comments on the first three chapters of Rebecca Blood's book... by dark today... yeah I'm a little behind on things.

Anyway! I think Blood's book is really interesting so far because I have so little experience with weblogs, and therefore very little knowledge about them. The distinctions between blogs, notebooks, and filters were okay but I had (and am still having) some trouble with the difference between a blog and a notebook. Even looking through some on this site with the "next blog" button isn't really helping me out. I also think that chapter three might be better placed at the beginning of the book, though it is nice to have the history and types at the beginning. Maybe even a mix of the two would be better, but I'm not sure. I liked how Blood said that anyone who keeps a weblog eventually shares information, builds reputation, and expresses personal opinion, no matter what the primary reason is. And I couldn't agree more with her statement that it's hard to write every day, and that it's hard to write poorly every day. I'm starting to see why a blog is a good way to make oneself write every day and to avoid writing badly, just from keeping my own blog these past couple of weeks. The way she explains starting a weblog is pretty straightforward and the questions she says one should ask about each service are good ones!

Enough to make you cry

I came home for the weekend to work, and my mom showed me a newsletter she'd gotten in the mail from our church. Normally I don't read them, but this one had something really interesting in it. I tried to find it online so I could link to it but no luck so here goes...

A Prayer For Today
Father, help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.
Remind us that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job) is a slave to addictions that we can barely imagine in our worst nightmares.
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report that she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.
Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

Tryin new things...

I have had the worst hangover today. The worst because it's my first. Yeah this is going to sound kinda funny, but until last night I'd never gotten drunk. I've drank before, but never more than a drink or two, not even enough to be buzzed. And if it wasn't for my asshole of an ex-boyfriend that wouldn't have changed.

Okay, heres the story. He decided yesterday afternoon that he wanted to come over and see me, take me out to dinner and a movie, you get the drift. I have no idea why. He never wanted to do that kind of stuff when we were dating. Anyway he took me out to eat and we rented a couple of movies and headed back to my room, where he proceeded to pull a bottle of captain morgan out of his bag. I figured we were going to have just a couple of drinks, no big deal. Well I made a mistake: I let him mix the drinks.

I've never tried rum before. I'm a vodka fan, especially if I have some orange juice to mix with it. So I had my first captain coke, and it was okay. I hate coke, but oh well. I guess it was pretty strong. And then the second one was stronger. Before it was all said and done, I think I had another one or two. And I ended up passed out after throwing up in my trashcan. Not cool. And then the wonderous aftermath: waking up with a killer headache and my ex-boyfriend in my bed, trying to get rid of the taste in my mouth with two gallons of mouthwash, and feeling sick when I smelled food.

So, I do have a question along with this story. I want to know, why would anyone deliberately do that to themselves? Right now, I never want to drink again. Not even my vodka and OJ. Not even a little bit.

My computer hates me

I found out last night that my computer won't go to the blogger.com homepage. Yeah it's not good. But anyway...

I work as a cook in a nursing home, so I found this very interesting. The world's oldest woman recently died, and it got me thinking. What kind of quality does one's life have once there is such a lack of freedom that one is forced to reside in a nursing home? I know, I shouldn't be bashing the places since I make good money, but watching the residents is really difficult at times. Of course, confidentiality laws say I can't reveal too much about what goes on behind the scenes, but I'll give it my best shot here. In the unit I work in (long term care), three-quarters of the residents are in wheelchairs, many of them can't bathe or even use the restroom without help, some of them can't eat on their own, one cannot talk but understands everything that's said to her, one understands nothing that's said to him but talks constantly, a few of them can't hear unless you're two inches from their ear and yelling. But the dementia unit is worse, I rarely work there because I just can't handle it. I've decided that if I ever get to the point where I'm losing my mind or have to wear depends and sit in a wheelchair all day, I want someone to do me a favor and shoot me. And what's worse is so many of these people have no visitors. In some cases it's because family is across the country, but many of these people's family and friends are in the community and just don't take the time except at big holidays like Christmas and Easter. It's pretty depressing.

Caffeinated donuts

Yep, caffeinated donuts... I'm serious! Maybe there is hope for those of us who gag at the taste of coffee...

Rumors

Okay, maybe I'm a little bit behind on the entertainment buzz, but I just heard a rumor that Austin Winkler (lead singer from the band Hinder for anyone who doesn't know) was dead. Where do people get these things? I can't find anything that says he isn't alive and kicking... which is good because I love them! And while looking for information on that, I found this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16850751/

A 66-year-old woman had twins.... after lying to a fertility clinic about her age to receive treatment.... what is this world coming to?

Something that just made me think...

So, I got a link from a friend through e-mail sometime today... check it out, http://www.slate.com/id/2157840/?nav=tap3

I don't get it... Guess I just don't see the appeal of walking around a supermarket with a package of Angus beef in my pants... or filet mignon...

Hello!

Hello everyone, brand new project here so wish me best of luck... I just might need it.

Anyway, I'm just going to give a little info about me. I am almost completely new to the blogging world, and basically I'm starting this for a class I'm taking. Yes I've posted things before, but only on sites like MySpace, and I'm not really sure that counts, but I'll let you decide that. I'm a junior in college this year and a writing major, but don't expect anything too profound or deep from me at the moment. I'm just a bit stuck on the whole writing thing....

So that's all I have to say now, and now comes the fun part... I should probably think of a focus for this....